


Into the Void

by Tashilover



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Cabin Pressure
Genre: Fushion, prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-06
Updated: 2015-11-11
Packaged: 2018-02-16 08:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 24,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2263182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tashilover/pseuds/Tashilover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Martin must be the worst Avatar ever.</p><p> </p><p>Based off a prompt in the CP meme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own](https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_have_a_Mycroft_of_my_very_own/gifts).



Martin was fourteen when the White Lotus came to his house. There were only three of them, two men, one woman, but each one was as tall and burly as a professional wrestler. Simon, Caitlin, and himself watched from a distance as their parents let them in, bringing them to the kitchen to talk.

Hiding on the stairs, the kids were too far away to hear the conversation properly. They crowded together, straining their ears, trying to catch snippets of their parents were saying.

"...not a bender..."

"... never had a bender on either side of family..."

"... tests we can perform..."

"... what if..."

"...first we confirm then..."

There was pause, then Martin's father said out loud, "Martin, come into the kitchen, please."

When it was found Martin could water bend, Simon had been joking Martin had been adopted and that the people visiting today were going to take him away to his real parents. Or back to the orphanage.

Both Simon and Caitlin shared horrified looks, and they were all thinking the same thing: what if Martin was adopted? It would make sense- why else would he have the ability to water bend when no one else in their family tree could?

His parents called for him again. Wiping the sweat off his hands on his trousers, Martin stood up from the stairs, stepped down and walked to the kitchen.

His parents were standing off to the side, while the White Lotus sentries sat at the table. It felt wrong. This was his home, not theirs, his parents should be the ones at the table, not them. There was a cloth on the table as well, covering a portion of it.

"Hello, Martin," the woman said softly. Though her body was hidden under her white and blue robes, her shoulders were as big as a truck. "So your parents tell me you can water bend."

"Yes, ma'am," Martin said.

"And you're the only one in the family who can."

He nodded.

"Can you show me?"

She reached back and brought forward a glass of water. She held it out for him.

Just because he could water bend didn't mean he was trained in it. It was just an accident when he froze his hot chocolate that day two weeks ago. Nobody in the neighbourhood was a master to teach him. Well, there was Mr. Rurick, but he was an arsehole.

Martin held out his hands towards the water. Concentrating, he flexed his fingers and tried to will the water out of the cup.

It felt like he was holding a long stick with a heavy weight stuck to the end of it. A stick he couldn't see and the longer he held it, the heavier it got. Grudgingly, the water rose from the cup, up into the air.

The sentries were studying him, not approving but not disapproving either. Merely watching. Martin tried to hold it, but the weight was too much. With a exhausted grunt, he dropped his hands, and the water splattered all over the floor.

"Interesting," said the woman. She waved her hand to the right, collecting the water off the ground, sloshing it back into the cup flawlessly. "Martin, come to the table."

He rubbed his arms which were now sore and felt noodle-like. He hoped they weren't going to ask him to write something, he doubt he could hold a pencil right now.

The woman stood up and step back, pulling the sheet she draped on the table away. Underneath, scattered across the top were little nicknacks and things. There were pens, tiny glass figurines, framed pictures, cufflinks, gold earrings, diamond rings, cigar cases, an empty bottle of perfume, small books, and other such items which his mother would've thrown away by now.

"Choose one," the woman said. "And it's yours."

Martin blinked up at her. "Really?"

She nodded. "Really."

This felt like a test. It was like Indiana Jones, and he was afraid if he chose the wrong thing, he was going to age a million years in four seconds.

Immediately he went for the diamond ring. He could sell it, buy himself a new bike. Maybe he could take the whole family to the Misty Palms Oasis or Kyoshi Island. Or maybe build a pool in the back. If Martin was going to water bend, he might as well have a large body of water nearby to practice on.

Just as he was about to pick the diamond ring up, he stopped. Off to the side, sitting beneath a silver lighter, was a small aeroplane brooch.

It was a tiny thing, tarnished and old. It was a World War Two plane with movable propellers. Without even thinking twice, Martin brushed aside the lighter, picked up the brooch and said, "Um... I'll take this."

The sentries shared a look. They smiled knowingly.

"What?" Martin said. He stepped back, clutching the plane tightly in his hand. The pin poked at his palm. "What? What's going on?" He looked to his parents for help. His mother had her hand covering her mouth in shock while his father looked on proudly. He was almost crying.

Oh god, he WAS adopted, wasn't he?

He jumped when all three sentries suddenly went down on bended knee in front of him, bowing their heads. "What? What?"

"It's an honour to meet you," the woman said. "Avatar Martin."

Martin dropped the brooch. From behind, Simon cried out, "NUH-HUH!"


	2. Chapter 2

Martin stood back, watching as various people filtered in and out of his home, packing up everything he has ever owned into boxes. When they first saw him, they all smiled in glee and bowed to him, telling him it was an 'honour' to carry his belongings.

How much of it was an honour to pack his underwear?

Except they weren't packing his parent's things. They weren't packing Simon's or Caitlin's, just his. He was the only one moving out.

"Where are you taking him?"

"To our compound in Fitton-"

"Fitton!" His dad had exclaimed. "That's nearly two hours away! Why not teach him here?"

"Now that we know Martin is the Avatar, keeping such a thing a secret is not going to be easy," Master Shaquanda said. "Someone is bound to notice. A friend, a colleague, a school mate. The press would eat him alive. At the compound, Avatar Martin would have everything he needs. He'll have the best tutors, as well as his bending masters to learn from. You all, of course, are invited to stay."

Martin had thought at least, his family would come.

"I can't," his dad said uncomfortably. "I can't just leave my practice. I can't... just pull all of the kids out of school to go out in the middle of nowhere. What about our jobs? Our home?"

"It's not an easy decision, I know, but this is the best option for the Avatar. Think of it as... boarding school."

Boarding school. Except Martin was going to be the only student there, he won't be allowed to leave the grounds without body guards, he won't go home during the summer, and he was going to be learning how to wield the powers of the universe. Right.

In his hands he idly played with the aeroplane brooch, twirling the propeller with the tip of his finger. According to Master Shaquanda, other potential Avatars they had tested in the past always chose the diamond rings (the rings, Martin learned bitterly, were made out of glass.) Martin was the only one who chose the brooch.

Avatar Maybelle had made the aeroplane as a gift for her brother during the Second World War. She metal-bended it out of a bullet which had struck her in the leg, nearly killing her. A piece of metal, soaked in her own blood and crafted like a true artisan.

Martin kept insisting he only chose it because he liked planes. They refused to listen.

All because of this brooch, his whole life had been changed forever. He was now one of the most powerful people on earth, he was the bridge between the spirit and living world, and everybody was going to want a piece of him.

Martin didn't want that.

The responsibility of being the Avatar suddenly weighed on him, like a boulder resting on his shoulders, making him hunch.

It was too big. Martin kept spinning the propeller over and over, panic rising inside of him. He couldn't think beyond how much he didn't want to do this, how it was not going to stop. His heart sped up, forcing him to take deep, fast breaths. He didn't want this, he didn't want this, he didn't want-

Martin ran for it. He didn't know where he was going, he didn't have any money or his phone on him, but he didn't care because he was gone. He ran down the stairs, ignoring the movers who greeted him. He ran past the kitchen where the White Lotus sentries were talking to his parents about last-minute accommodations.

He was then out of the front door, into the street, running as fast as his legs could take him. From behind he heard someone yell out, "He's running!"

He barely got to the end of his street when the ground rumbled beneath him. Coming from the side was Master Lon, the earth bender. He was riding on top of a piece of cement like a skateboard, yelling at him to stop. "Avatar Martin! Where are you going?"

"Leave me alone!"

Lon threw out his arm, erecting a wall of earth in front of Martin, halting him.

"Avatar Martin," Lon said gently, hoping off his cement block. "Please, tell me what's wrong and we'll try to fix it."

He was no longer Martin. He was 'Avatar this' and 'Avatar that.'

"Just stay back," Martin said, holding out a hand. "I am not the Avatar, you got the wrong kid."

Lon blinked. "I... no, you picked the aeroplane brooch, you're the Avatar, that we have no doubt."

Martin still had the brooch in his hand. He tossed it down to the ground in front of him. "I want to be a pilot," he insisted desperately. "I only picked it because I like planes. If you put a dirty magazine on that table, I probably would have picked that too."

"No, you wouldn't," Lon said with unshaken confidence. He took a step forward.

What happened next, Martin didn't know. Lon had his hands out in a pacifying manner, but yet Martin saw it as a threat. He didn't want this man near him.

In that moment, something deep within him welled up to the surface. It felt amazing, strong and destructively powerful, and he grabbed onto that feeling with all his might, demanding it be set free.

"Stop it! Can't you see you're scaring him?"

Martin gave out a gasp. The feeling suddenly disappeared, like a balloon popping, releasing its insides to the wind, never to be held again. He turned around to see his father running up, along with the other two sentries.

"Martin," his dad said, coming to him. "Are you okay?"

At fourteen, Martin thought he was old enough to do certain things. He wanted to stay out till ten, he wanted to try driving a car, he wanted to visit London without any chaperones. Last month his mum caught him smoking, and he was so angry at her for berating him in front of his friends. At fourteen he thought he was 'too old' for parents.

Now all he wanted was for his parents to take it all away. Make it stop. "Dad," he begged. "I don't want to be the Avatar. I don't want to be..."

"Oh, Martin," his dad said, pulling him into a hug. Martin buried his face in his dad's chest, not wishing to be seen. His shoulders shook as he tried to keep himself from bawling. "This went a little too fast, huh? You'll be okay. Shhh..."

His dad lifted his head and spoke to Lon. "Look, why don't you guys leave for today and come back in a week, okay? Give him some time to come to the idea."

"Uhh..." Lon murmured, looking around. The neighbours were coming out of their homes, wondering what the heck was going on. Some of them were already complaining about the giant rock wall in the middle of the street.

"A week," said his dad, this time not posing it as a request. Keeping Martin's face hidden, he walked back to the house, passing the other two sentries, almost daring them to start something. They let him pass.


	3. Chapter 3

That week Martin spent it as himself. He went to the cinema, he hanged out with his friends, he got pizza from his favourite restaurant, he played video games, he argued with Simon on whose turn it was to wash the dishes, he did his chores, he went to the library, he slept in, stayed up all night, he braided Caitlin's hair, he tried calling the girl he liked but chickened out at the last minute, and he ate more chocolate chip mint ice cream than he thought was physically possible for him.

On Friday evening as Martin walked out of the bathroom, just finished with brushing his teeth, his dad was waiting for him. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

Martin's bags were already packed, sitting to the side in his room. "Yes."

"And you're okay with this?"

"I... not really," Martin said, shrugging. "I said what I mean. I don't want to be the Avatar. But I don't have a choice, do I?"

"You _always_ have a choice, Martin," his dad hissed, leaning down to look at him in the eyes. "Don't ever let anyone make you think differently. If you really don't want to go, you don't have to."

"Do you want me to go?"

His dad considered the question before answering. "I do. Not because I want you gone, but because you do need to be trained. And I can't give that to you here. Just understand, Martin, that they're _not_ taking you away. They're not going to harm you. They simply want what is best for you. And hey," his dad gave a smile. "I hear the ladies love the Avatar."

Martin shrugged again, not really caring.

His dad frowned. "Also, when you learn air bending, you'll be able to fly on a glider."

Martin's eyes lit up. He never considered that.

"Should've known _that_ would change your mind," his dad groaned good naturely. "Go to sleep, Martin. Tomorrow is a big day. It is only a new beginning, not an end."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Because Simon and Caitlin still had classes to attend, Martin said his goodbyes after breakfast. Caitlin began crying out loud, to which Martin promised when he learned metal bending, he would create a golden tiara for her. Simon was old enough to know Martin wasn't going away forever, and said he'll try to visit this weekend. "If I don't have much homework, that is," he said with a cocky smirk. "Maybe I can get out of it. _Mrs. Williams, my brother is the Avatar, can I get extra time on the history essay so I can go see him? You know, the Avatar?_ "

Martin laughed. It had already been explained to them they shouldn't reveal such information, even as jest. Still, Martin wished he could see such a reaction.

His mother weeped harder than his sister did.

"Martin!" His mum wailed, crushing his face into her bosom. "Oh, Martin! Growing up so fast!"

Suddenly Martin wanted to leave. This was so embarrassing, and she kept insisting she take one last good picture of him before he left. "C'mon, Wendy," his dad had to peel her off of him. "Let the boy go. We have a long drive ahead of us."

They packed the boot with Martin's belongings, along with a few other items his parents insisted he take. A family photo album. An address book. Gift cards to some of the shops near the compound in Fitton. Though Martin wondered when he'll be able to use some of these. From the sound of it, he didn't think he'll be allowed off the compound for months.

After one last hug-fest goodbye, Martin jumped into the car with his dad, and both of them drove off.

Martin felt a little numb. A part of him still wanted his dad to turn the car around, to go home and pretend none of this ever happened. He was also curious to see what the future held. Martin has never met an air bender before and knowing he was going to be trained by a Master was amazing. Would he really be flying on one of those gliders? That would be so goddamn cool.

It was fear, Martin realized, that was missing. He wasn't scared. Nervous, certainly, but he wasn't afraid. He could do this.

With a tiny little sigh, he leaned back in his seat, letting himself to relax. Outside it began to rain. His dad turned on the wipers as the rain came thundering down, and then turned radio on higher to overpower the noise of the droplets striking the car.

Martin raised his hand and touched his fingers against the splattered window, and dragged them across. Droplets of water followed him hesitantly, gathering together, creating a small bubble of liquid. He was amused by this, like any other boy would be amused from doodling random things in a notebook. Once the bubble was big as a tennis ball, he pulled his hand back, allowing the water bubble to burst.

Deep inside, a dark small voice hissed out at him, _This proves nothing_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Three years later.**

 

 

 

The armour was giving him a wedgie.

Would that be a dignified thing to say out loud? _Can I stop the fight? My pants are riding up into my arse!_ As hilarious as that thought was, Martin knew Master Beign would scream at him for such an inappropriate joke. Instead, Martin wiggled his hips, hoping to dislodged the pants from between his cheeks.

On cue, Master Beign yelled out, "WHY THE HELL ARE YOU DANCING? FOCUS!"

So much for subtlety. Martin stopped moving. His fighting partners looked on uneasily, shifting in second-hand embarrassment. All three of them were at least fifteen years older than him. Martin didn't know them personally, only seeing them briefly around the compound. All of them were superb fire benders.

Master Beign held up a hand. "BEGIN!"

Three fire balls immediately descended upon Martin. Through the armour he felt the heat burning his skin, making him sweat. He dodged and weaved, flames missing him by mere centimeters, singing the few hairs that gotten loose from his helmet. At this point he wasn't even thinking, his body moving on instinct.

When one fighter dropped her stance in a moment to catch her breath, Martin pounced. He ran right up to her, kicked her legs out right from underneath her, grabbed her by her collar and threw her out of the ring.

"GODDAMN IT, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? STOP THE FIGHT! I SAID, STOP THE FIGHT!"

The other two fighters, their arms raised to attack, halted in mid-pose, awkwardly standing there, unsure what to do next.

Master Beign stepped onto the fighting platform, his face so red in anger, Martin swore he saw steam coming out of his ears. "This is a fire bending match!" He screamed. "You're suppose to fire bend! Not throw your opponents out of the ring like some goddamn pro wrestler!"

Martin tried to be reasonable. "Look, if I can defeat them without bending-"

Master Beign didn't wait for Martin to finish his sentence. He shot out a fist, and a gigantic fire ball came screaming towards Martin, barely giving him a moment to get out of the way.

Martin was unable to dodge the second fireball, blasting him from behind. Or the third, which knocked off his helmet, throwing him to the ground.

"BEND!" Master Beign spat at him. He threw out four more fire blasts in rapid succession. "BEND! BEND! DO SOMETHING, YOU LOUSY PIECE OF SHIT!"

All Martin could do was cover his head, curling his body in to protect himself from the blasts.

Finally, through the hysteria, he heard Master Shaquanda yelled out, "Stop this insanity! Stop, Beign! What are you doing to the Avatar?"

" _He's not the Avatar! He has never been the Avatar! This stupid little boy you've been forcing me to train is not the fucking Avatar!"_

Insistent hands had Martin unroll from his position. He groaned, his whole body aching from being beaten with what felt like white-hot iron skillets. The armour protected him from third degree burns, but his hands though, were red and shaking. A water bender kneeled down next to him, doing her best to heal his hands.

"Get out," Master Shaquanda seethed, her face only mere inches away from Master Beign. "Take your insanity with you."

Martin thought they were going to fight. Master Beign has never been known for his patience and with the way Master Shaquanda was glaring down at him, Martin thought for sure they were going to start exchanging blows.

Finally, Master Beign huffed, took a step back and sneered, "You're wasting your time with him. Three years wasted on some mediocre water bender. The spirits must be laughing at you now."

 

 

 

 

 

For the rest of the afternoon, Martin stayed in his room. His hands were bandaged, making it nearly impossible to use the toilet or hold a glass of water. No way in hell was he going to admit out loud he bended his own pee into the toilet, but desperate times came with desperate measures.

It was easier to think about pee than it was about the Masters.

As they pulled Martin away from the training area, he could see it on all of their faces. The doubt. Master Beign had a point: in the past three years Martin has been here, he has never once bended any other element other than water.

Not a spark, not a woosh, not even a pebble moved under his influence.

At first they didn't mind. A lot of past Avatars had problems mastering the elements, they said, so they focused on helping him master water. Once he was done, they moved onto earth.

Then air. Then fire. No matter what Martin did, no matter how much he practiced the stances over and over, nothing happened. He saw doctors, he saw Gurus who tried to open his chakras, he underwent intense water healing baths, he meditated for hours, fasted even longer. Nothing seemed to help.

At some point someone suggested that maybe, just maybe, Martin was not the Avatar. That the White Lotus sentries got it wrong, and brought home the wrong person.

At first nobody took the rumour seriously and anyone who tried to feed into it was immediately transferred to another compound. But as days turned into months, and months into years, and Martin still showed no sign of the other elements, suddenly the rumour didn't look all that farfetched.

Martin tried, he really did. He did everything they asked him to, he went through every test, every exam, some of which were humiliating and painful, and nothing came of it. At night, when he snuck out of his room to grab a snack from the kitchens, he could hear their whispers in the hall, talking about him, asking among themselves if they were wasting their time.

Eventually some of the masters got in on it too. Master Beign just happened to be the first to say it out loud.

 

 

 

 

Three days later, they called for him.

Master Shaquanda, Lon, and Crillin were there, sitting on white and blue padded mats. In front was a golden mat, made specifically for Martin, for the Avatar. Martin had sat on this mat the first time he entered this compound. He was surprised they didn't swap it out for a generic, used mat to really dig in their message.

"Martin," Master Shaquanda started sadly. She was the one who wished for Martin's success the most. "We're sorry."

She didn't even bother to call him 'Avatar' anymore. So this was truly it.

"We were wrong," she continued. "I don't know how, but we were. And I'm sorry for leading you on."

On his lap, Martin's fists tightened. "I told you from the beginning," he said, trembling. "That I was not the Avatar."

"I know. I remember."

"Your tests are insane. I chose a brooch, a piece of _jewelry_ , and suddenly that means I'm the Avatar? That's like... deciding gravity doesn't exist because a feather doesn't fall to the ground as fast as a rock."

The brooch was pinned to Martin's chest. They let him keep it since it was technically 'his'.

Three years gone. Three years away from his family, who could only find time to visit once a month. Three years away from his friends whom he could never tell he was the Avatar in fear of attempts on his life. He tried to keep in touch with them but his schedule never gave him enough time to make a decent effort to write or talk to them. Soon, they all just stopped trying.

Three years of his life gone and now they were going to throw him to the curb like the unwanted trash he was?

Martin stood. He was on the verge of crying and he didn't want them to see him. "I'll pack my things."

"We'll call your parents to come pick you up-"

"Don't bother," Martin snapped at them. He turned his back to them as a single frustrated tear ran down his cheek. "I'm not your responsibility anymore, remember? I can get by on my own."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lololol... this fic got recced at the CP section of TvTropes. I was flattered, then I spent like, three hours on Tvtropes. That place is addicting.

There wasn't much to pack. About a little over a year back, the masters thought the best environment for Martin to learn in was a disciplined, stable one. So they took out everything that was considered 'distracting' from his room.

They took out his Shakira poster, his football posters, the Gameboy Simon had given him for Christmas, the small television his parents gave him, replaced all of his music CDs with chanting from Air Acolytes, and replaced all of his books- comics and Harry Potter- with histories and Shakespeare. The only time he set his foot down was when they tried to take out his model aeroplanes, though that didn't last very long when they disappeared the next day, claiming the 'cleaning crew must've done it.'

He filled his pack with the few personal items he managed to keep. He was calculating how long it will walk to the nearest town, then estimating the time a bus ride will take him back to his parents house.

He thought about money. The White Lotus swore they would always look after him, that he didn't need to look for a job to make his way. His only responsibility was to the world. As parents of the Avatar, Martin's family got a generous share of wealth from the White Lotus. A new car was given to them along with a small monthly salary. His parents still had their jobs, but that extra money was a great bonus to have. To suddenly not have it was going to be rough. That extra money paid for Caitlin's braces.

Martin was now seventeen years old. What he could he do as a waterbender? There were plenty of jobs for waterbenders in the medical world, but he needed to be qualified first. That meant more schooling and money he didn't have. What could he do at the moment?

His CV was going to look so depressing. No volunteering, no side jobs, no references he could use. In the real world outside of the compound, he was a ghost.

He still wanted to fly.

It was not as if there was a ban on waterbenders to fly aeroplanes. He could go for his CPL now he didn't have the responsibility of the world hanging on his shoulders. It would be long, hard work but he could do it. He could still become a pilot.

The door to his room opened. Martin jerked out of his fantasy, twisting around to meet Master Shaquanda. "I'm almost done," he said defensively.

"That's not why I am here," she said. She closed the door in a very deliberate manner. "I didn't want to leave our last encounter like that."

Martin kept his silence.

"Avatar or not, Martin," Master Shaquanda said. "I was still your teacher for three years. I watched you grow from a young boy to a mature, incredible, waterbender master. I am proud of you, Martin. Your work may not be here, but I know you'll go on to do great things."

Blush bloomed across Martin's cheeks. Rarely compliments have been given to him recently. "What are you guys going to do now?"

Master Shaquanda shrugged. "The others want to try looking for the Avatar again, but with the way we messed up the first-"

She coughed, cutting herself off.

Martin grabbed at his chest. He took off the brooch and held it out for her to take. "Here, then. You might need this."

Master Shaquanda held up her hands and took a step back. "Oh no... Martin, you keep it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martin watched the gates close for the final time. Over the three years he's seen them open for his family, for his teachers and letting other White Lotus' in and out. He waited till he heard the locking mechanism engaged, then turned and started walking down the very long, very isolated road.

Maybe he should've taken that offer of a car ride.

According to Simon, the compound was so isolated, not even the locals in the next town over barely knew about its existence. Those who dared drove down here were either discouraged by the isolation or the numerous signs talking of private property. The few who managed to make it to the gate of the compound were always turned away. Always. Martin heard rumours of cars breaking on the side of the road and once the drivers hiked to the entrance, no matter how much people begged, they were denied help.

Martin had two bottles of water with him. One for drinking, the other for bending. It was highly unlikely he was going to run into trouble, even on this isolated, quiet road. It would be unwise to cause trouble so close to the compound.

A half hour later Martin heard an approaching motor bike.

The noise was still so far away, the echoes barely reaching him. It piqued Martin's curiosity. All he's seen so far were two deer, birds, and a forest spirit flying above his head. He was also very bored, and wanted some kind of stimulation.

The noise got louder and louder and soon, in the distance, he could see the pinprick silhouette of someone riding a bike. Martin stopped to watch it roll by.

The rider didn't zoom past him like he thought it would. The bike slowed right in front of Martin, then stopped, and the rider put a foot out to steady himself.

Uneasy, Martin moved his hand back to ready the water.

The rider took off his helmet. "Hello," said the young man. He ran a hand through his thick, brown hair. "Are you walking from the compound?"

Martin nodded.

"And the Avatar's there?"

"He was never there."

The young man gave Martin a look. "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean? The Avatar is not at the compound, he never was."

The young man narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you sure?"

Martin waved a hand down the road. "If you don't believe me, keep going. Fair warning though, they're not going to let you get past the first gate."

With a cocky grin, the young man put back on his helmet. "Oh, they'll let me in."

"Very sure of yourself."

"I'm always sure of myself."

With a deliberate roar of the engine, the young man gave Martin a two finger wave, then took down the road. Martin watched him go, shaking his head at the ignorance, yet feeling very envious at the self-confidence. What a strange combination to have.


	6. Chapter 6

Half an hour later, Martin heard the motor bike approaching him again.

He stopped and waited, watching in amusement as the young man slowly came to a stop in front of him. They stared in silence for a few seconds, Martin letting his 'I told you so' speak through his stance.

The young man jerked a thumb behind him. "Want a ride?"

"Unable to get in?"

"I think we both know the ending to that story," the young man said, his voice muffled by his helmet. "So how 'bout we don't talk about it. Do you want a ride or not, kid?"

Like Martin was going to say no. He always wanted to ride on a motor bike. Besides, his feet were aching, he already drank through his first bottle of water and started drinking his bending water, and he still had another hour of walking to get through before he hit town. Readjusting the straps of his pack, Martin bounced over and got on the bike behind the young man.

"Excited, are you?" Said the young man.

"Never been on a bike before," said Martin. He was trying to figure out how to adjust his legs. "Also, it feels good to get off my feet."

"So what are you? You don't look like a White Lotus agent."

"I'm... not. I was in training to be one, but it didn't work out."

"Mmmm... such is life." The young man reached back with an outstretched hand. "I'm Douglas."

Martin took it and gave it a brief shake. "Martin."

 

 

 

 

 

Martin was a little afraid they were going to be pulled over for speeding and for not wearing a helmet, but they encountered nothing during the whole ride. For the first five minutes Martin held onto Douglas tightly, feeling like he was going to fall off at any moment. After getting used to the sensation of the vibrations and speed, Martin let himself relax and he pulled back, enjoying the wind blowing around him.

By the time they finally got onto a main road and started going towards the nearest town, Martin was starving. He brought along a small bag of dried fruit, though that was not going to satisfy him.

He reached up and rapped his knuckles against Douglas' helmet. "Hey, you hungry?"

At a stop sign, Douglas turned his head and asked, "You buying?"

Martin reached back into his pack. He still had a few unused gift cards his parents gave him for Christmas. They all thought Martin would be allowed into town during his free days. The only time Martin left the compound was to visit his family, nothing else.

"How bout these?" He asked, holding up the cards to show. "Are any of these places near here?"

Douglas whistled. "Holy spirits, how old are these things?"

"Why?"

"Well, for one, the Oodles and Noodles company has been closed for nearly two years now."

Martin made a face. Well, that was thirty pounds wasted.

"And... let's see, this has been closed for a few months now. This place moved last year... wait, I think this one is still standing."

The final gift card was to a soup place, specializing in Southern Water Tribe food.

"It's a few blocks from here," Douglas said. "Let's go. I'm starving."

As fun as it was being on a motor bike, Martin was glad when Douglas finally parked in front of the restaurant. This bike was not meant for two riders and it was a miracle Martin was able to sit the way he did. He stood up and stretched, relaxing the kinks out of his muscles.

Douglas took off his helmet. He brushed a few strands of hair out of the way, revealing a fresh bruise on his right cheek.

"That wasn't there before," Martin said, taking notice. "What happened? You fell?"

"Oh! Um... yeah, I took a nasty spill on my bike."

Martin frowned. "Did... did someone at the compound give you that?"

"To be fair, I did try to break in."

" _You broke in?!"_

"I said tried," Douglas said. "Their security is... very good."

"I told you-"

Douglas held up a hand. "Yes, yes, I learned my lesson and all is well. Can we go inside, please? I am very, very hungry."

Martin couldn't believe him. The fact that the White Lotus had not arrested him for breaking in meant they didn't perceive Douglas as a threat, but who was this guy and why was he even trying? Was he some kind of fanatic fanboy?

"Uh-oh," Douglas said, stopping right at the door. "I don't think we're going to be eating here today."

"Why not?"

He pointed to the window. Martin looked and noticed a small, white sign posted from within.

NO BENDERS ALLOWED.

"What, seriously?" Martin scoffed. "This is a joke, right?"

"Are you a bender?"

"I- yes, water-"

"Then we should probably leave. Already we're getting ugly looks."

Martin hadn't noticed, but at those words, the world suddenly came into focus for him. It wasn't just this restaurant; other shops and buildings had their own version of the signs, all proclaiming anti-bending. As people walked down the street, they stared at Martin, eyeing his clothes with a certain air of disdain.

Martin had been wearing his white and blue water tribe outfit despite England was primarily part of the Fire Nation. These were the only clothes he had, and he supposed it made him stand out. He wasn't dressed like Douglas, who wore jeans, a grey shirt and a rider's jacket.

"Let's get out of here," Douglas said, grabbing Martin by the arm and steering him back to the bike. "We're not eating today."


	7. Chapter 7

"I heard of the anti-bending movement," Martin said once they were away from the disgusted looks of passing individuals. If he were the Avatar, would these people still hate him? "But I didn't think it extended to allowing business owners to banning benders."

"It doesn't," said Douglas. "The government doesn't allow it, but in small towns like here, the authority to stop them is next to nil. It's better to know, actually. Otherwise they're likely to spit into your food."

Speaking of which, Martin still hasn't eaten since breakfast that morning. As part of the regiment Avatar diet, all he ate for breakfast was a small bowl of rice, some chicken broth, and a few pickled radishes. He usually got a bigger meal for lunch after intense physical training.

His stomach growled. "Is there a place where we can eat?"

"Not if you want to use your gift cards," said Douglas.

Now that made Martin's lips turn sour. He only had enough money for a bus ticket. He was going have to swallow down the dried fruit he brought and suffer through until he got home. Having that much freeze-dried fruit on an empty stomach was going to give him a sugar headache.

"Well..." Douglas began. "There is one place where we can eat. I know the owner."

Martin blinked at him. _For free?_

"Not for free," he said, interpretating Martin's gaze. "She'll put us to work, but she won't spit in the food at least."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Douglas had to drive quite a bit outside of town limits, taking them away from the main street and onto the open fields of farmland. Though this had been a common sight for Martin when he was younger, it felt strange and foreign to him now.

Up ahead, there was a sign arching over two tall pillars. The paint on it was fading, making it very hard to read. "M...JN airdot," said Martin out loud. "Your friend owns planes?"

"Not exactly," said Douglas. "You'll see."

Douglas pulled up to what looked like an abandoned airstrip. There was no true runway, but a long, trotted path that stretched out into the horizon. There was a pole with a simple wind gage on top, and off to the side was MJN's building. It had high, erected concrete walls all around, blocking the view from outsiders.

It stunk like a farm. "What is this place?" Martin asked as he got off the bike. "I never heard of this airfield."

"It's not an airfield," Douglas said. He pushed down the kickstand with his foot, pulled of his helmet and said, "It's-"

There was a sudden familiar noise, one Martin heard many, many over the past three years. Immediately he turned towards it, his body shifting into a stance. It only took less than a second for him to summon the water out of his plastic bottle, twisting it into a whip. He swung it up in front, slicing the three rocks hurled at himself and Douglas, turning them into rubble at his feet.

He moved his arm back, gathering the water into his palm to turn it into a spike, when Douglas ran in front of him, holding his arms up. "Whoa, whoa, Martin! It's okay, it's fine."

Martin made a face of disbelief. He moved back, lowering his arm, but he didn't release his water. "What?"

"It's... it's my boss," Douglas said in a guilty tone. "She's a little upset with me for quitting so suddenly."

"OH, THAT'S A WORD FOR IT!"

Martin peered around Douglas' torso. A tall, robust woman in a grey suit was stomping her way towards them. With every step she took, the ground shattered beneath her. She held up a small white envelope, shaking it angrily. "THIS IS HOW YOU DECIDE TO LEAVE? BY LEAVING A HASTILY WRITTEN NOTE ON MY DESK WITH THE WORDS, 'I QUIT. DOUGLAS' ON IT?"

She kicked the ground, summoning a football sized rock, and once it got chest high, she punched out, hurling it towards Douglas.

Douglas stepped forward, and shot out a fire ball of equal size. The two elements collided in mid-air, exploding into dust and pebbles. "Now I'm back," Douglas said, pulling away and putting his hands up in surrender. "I'm ready to go back to work."

The woman stopped right in front of him, her nostrils flaring, looking like all she wanted to do was bury him in a rock avalanche. Martin held onto his water, unsure of the sudden tense, uneasy silence. Douglas' defenses were totally down, and if this woman decided to hurt him, she had the perfect opportunity to do so.

Martin jumped when her eyes shifted to him. "Who the bloody hell are you?"

Before he could answer, her eyebrows shot up, disappearing into her brown hair. The tone in her voice changed and she breathed, "Wait, are you...?"

"No," said Douglas. "No, he's not, Carolyn. He just... a hitchhiker. I never even got into the compound."

Okay, what the hell was going on. Clearly she thought Douglas had brought the Avatar. Maybe Douglas was some kind of fanboy. It wouldn't be the first time somebody tried to send Martin used underwear through the mail.

"Oh," said Carolyn, deflating. She huffed. "So, you couldn't get in? Figures. So now you're back to beg for your job."

"I was only gone for a few hours..."

"Beg. For. It."

Douglas sighed. "Carolyn, please, may I have my old job back?"

He didn't even try to sound desperate.

"You're lucky I hate interviewing so much," Carolyn said, turning on her heel. "Fine, you can return. With a significant pay cut, of course."

"What! Carolyn, no-!"

"Hey, you're the one who decided this job wasn't good enough in the first place, so that means the money wasn't good enough, either. Back to business, Dougie!"


	8. Chapter 8

In the employee lounge, there was a fridge that looked older than time itself. It had a dozen of novelty magnets pinned to it, along with a few takeaway menus. There was a dent on the side, and a small whiteboard with a poor doodle of a turtleduck was on the freezer door.

Douglas took a moment to scrawl, 'Quack, I'm a turtleduck!' in a speech bubble above the drawing before opening the fridge. He pulled out a packet of ham, condiments, a bag of lettuce, and a few whole tomatoes. He reached up to the top of the fridge and pulled down a half-used loaf of wheat bread.

"Sandwiches," Douglas murmured as if it wasn't obvious. "C'mon. Don't be shy."

Martin had no intention to. By now he was so hungry, he was getting a little lightheaded. Regardless, he waited politely for Douglas to finish making his sandwich before staring on his own.

Ham, mayonnaise, lettuce, and a fat slice of tomato. Everything was cold and the lettuce was a bit wilted, but it tasted heavenly. Martin practically swallowed his first sandwich, then immediately started on another. Douglas himself was nearly done with his second one.

Just as Martin sunk his teeth into his second helping, Carolyn appeared at the doorframe, looking upon them with disapproval. "So instead of getting right back on the job, you decide to have lunch first."

"Hmmm..." Douglas continued chewing.

"And you," Carolyn directed her gaze to Martin. "You don't even work here-"

"I invited him," Douglas said through a mouthful.

"-and you thought this was alright to do?"

Guilt and embarrassment had Martin take the bite-ridden sandwich out of his mouth. He set the sandwich down, his cheeks burning, and immediately bowed. "I'm sorry," he said. "I meant no disrespect."

Douglas humphed. "Don't bow to her."

Martin ignored him and continued. "If there's anything I can do-"

"Oh my spirits, stop," Carolyn groaned. "I was just taking the piss, no need to act all humble over a sandwich. Geeze."

"Oh." Martin straightened. He shifted uneasily. "But... huh... I do wish to pay you back somehow. I can wash a few dishes...?"

"I was expecting you to wash the dishes anyway. No way are you two going to leave the utensils you used in the sink. Hmmm... I saw you out in the lot. You're a waterbender."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Are you a healer?"

Now that was a skill that took forever to master. He was not up to standards of a certified doctor, but he could hold his own. "Yes."

"Good. Once you're done eating, follow me."

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carolyn took Martin down a long hallway with very scarce windows. Douglas had not come with him, forced to stay behind because Carolyn dropped nearly a foot of papers in front of Douglas, telling him he needed to file these. The echo of his groan followed them as they walked out.

"So what is this place?" Martin asked. He kept glancing out the windows they passed and saw a few watering holes and stacks of hay, but nothing that could give him a definite answer. "A zoo?"

"Not a zoo," Carolyn said. "We're a breeding site."

"For what?"

They got to the set of double-doors at the end of the hallway. Carolyn pushed them open and a stream of sunlight blinded Martin, making him jerk his head away, blinking furiously. "For these," he heard Carolyn said.

His eyes adjusted. He gasped.

"AIRBISONS?" He squealed so loudly, Carolyn raised a hand over over her ear and cringed. "YOU RAISE AIRBISONS?"

He coughed suddenly. "Oh, um... you raise airbisons?"

"Yes..." Carolyn hissed, lowering her hand. "We do."

Holy crap, holy crap, _holy crap_. The White Lotus had promised, they _promised_ Martin once he completed his airbending training, they would give him an airbison as his spirit animal. It was an incentive for him to learn while his fire and earthbending lessons lacked. Martin had thrown himself into his training, learning every ka and movement with exact precise coordination. He may have not been able to shoot out a whirlwind or even move a leaf, but he knew the stances and steps by heart.

In the end, the White Lotus never gave him a bison. Martin supposed he should've taken that as a sign of his inevitable failure.

"This used to be my ex-husband's program," Carolyn said. She walked out while Martin trailed behind, gasping at everything. To his left there were bison bathing contently in a watering hole, while another one snored loudly underneath the cool shade of a tree. To his right, three baby bison were playing with each other, bumping each other with their small horns as another adult looked on. "When I got the property in the divorce, I carried on the tradition. We breed and raise the bison, shipping them off to the various air temples that need them."

"That's incredible!"

"We were in talks with the White Lotus a few years back about raising a bison for the Avatar, but then they stopped contacting us. I assumed they chose a different animal or found a bison on their own. Though I seriously doubt that, wild bison in England are rare to come by."

Carolyn didn't see Martin's sudden frown. She was to busy pointing. "Over here," she said. "I need you to help this one."

One bison was by herself, laying on her side, lightly groaning. She was breathing heavily, her six feet curling in with every intake. She looked like she was in great pain. Martin's heart went out to her.

"We used to have a vet pay house calls whenever we had a sick bison," said Carolyn. "But when the son of the family took over the business, he wanted nothing to do with benders and has refused to assist us, regardless of the situation."

"And... you want me to help?"

"Yes, Martin, that was the general idea."

"But I am not a veterinarian. And I am not a fully trained doctor-"

"I am aware. You look like you're fourteen. There's no way I could ever believe you to be a doctor."

Martin scowled at her.

"If you can," Carolyn continued, softening her voice. "See if you can diagnose what's wrong with her. If you believe it's something serious, or if you can't figure it out at all, I'll send my son out to grab a vet from the town next over."

"O-okay then..."

Summoning water from a nearby pond, Martin walked up to the sickly bison slowly. He didn't know how she'll react to him and held his hands up, the water encasing them, to show he meant no harm.

The bison blinked her giant brown eyes at him. She made no movement to get away from him.

Martin got close to her exposed belly, and hovered his hands over it. The water glowed a fantastic blue, illuminating his face and her fur. Slowly he passed his hands over her chest and her belly, swirling the water as he did so.

While teaching Martin how to heal, Master Shaquanda revealed a small unspoken secret about water healing: it was another form of blood bending.

Healing encouraged white blood cells in the body to move faster, to work harder. It sped up the reproduction of cells, to force the body to focus on a particular injury. Master Shaquanda said those who knew how to heal could, theoretically, bloodbend, but bloodbending also required training in offensive martial arts. They needed to know how to fight just as well.

Most healers did not know how to fight, and those who did, their abilities were not up to par. "So you're saying, I could learn bloodbending?" Martin asked.

"Ehhhhhh..." Master Shaquanda said uncomfortably. "I'm telling you this so you can understand the basics of healing. I don't think it's a good idea to teach the Avatar how to bloodbend. Remember, your skills could be passed on to your next reincarnation, like how metal bending was passed on from Avatar Korra. We don't want you going down in history as the 'First Bloodbending Avatar.'"

"But I don't know how to metalbend."

"You may one day. The potential is there. In the meantime, let's focus on this."

Right now, as Martin moved the water over the large furry belly, he was searching out signs of distress from the inside. Perhaps it was a pinched nerve? A small bone fracture? A blot clot?

He jerked when he found the source of the airbison's discomfort. He double-checked to be sure, and with a huff, released the water onto the ground.

"What? What is it?" Carolyn asked.

Martin pressed his palms down upon the belly, digging in until-

The bison's mouth suddenly opened, and the biggest _belch_ Carolyn had ever heard in her life vibrated out. "Oh my god!" She said, covering her nose and mouth and stepping away. "Who's been feeding her _noodles_? This is sickening..."

The bison blinked, smacked her lips a few times, then stretched out, all six legs pointing in different directions. Martin backed away, giving her room, and she sat up.

The airbison gave another round of disgusting burps, then without a second glance to Martin or Carolyn, floated away softly like nothing happened.


	9. Chapter 9

"That was Gerti," Carolyn said, shaking her head in disgust. She still swatted at her nose, desperate to get the scent off of her. "Our matriarchal. Oldest one here, has given birth to more than a dozen calfs. Every time she pulls something like this, I begin to believe she's just about to give up the ghost. Old girl keeps ticking though."

"Wow..."

Martin watched her fly without any use of wings, and it was one of the most incredible things he has ever seen. Not even Master Chen, Martin's airbending teacher, owned an airbison. He was allergic to animal dandruff, and relied solely on his sandalwood glider. It also didn't help Master Chen had a mild case of acrophobia and only flew when needed. He was actually relieved when he learned he didn't need to teach Martin how to glide. He didn't even tried to hide it.

Sky bisons. The original airbenders. Incredible.

"I want to work here!"

Martin seriously needed to stop doing that. He couldn't help it, the giddy feeling surged through his veins, making his heart pound fiercely. He hasn't felt like this in years.

"What?" Carolyn said. "I am not hiring-"

"I'll do anything! You need a healer, right? I'll be your healer. I'll cook, I'll clean- please, let me work here!"

There was nothing for him to do back home. He'd been away too long. He also didn't want to go back to his family in utter failure. At least this way, he could tell them what had happened, but assure them he found work in something he enjoyed. It was time he did something for himself.

Amazingly, Carolyn considered it. She studied Martin, one hand on her chin, occasionally taking glances at the bison. "Hmmm... are you willing to work for free?"

" _Yes!"_

He paused.

"Wait, no-"

"You're hired!" Carolyn said happily, cutting him off. She clapped her hands down on Martin's shoulders. "Welcome to MJN!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" _Martin! It's so good to hear from you!"_

"Hello, mum."

" _Hold on, let me get your father. Julien! Martin's on the phone! He's coming. Here, I'm going to put you on speaker-"_

"Mum, I would rather you didn't-"

His dad's voice came on the phone. " _Hey, son. How have you been?"_

"Good, dad. Look, can you guys take me off of speaker phone? I don't want Caitlin or Simon to hear this."

" _Hear what, butthead?_ " Crap, his sister was already in the room. " _What is it that the great and all powerful Avatar doesn't want us to hear?"_

"God, Caitlin, can you leave the room? I don't want-"

" _Oi! Simon! Martin's on the phone and he doesn't want us to hear his all important Avatar phone call!"_

"Goddamn me-"

" _Martin, watch your language!"_

"Sorry, mum. Can you all just... take me off of speaker phone and let me talk to dad alone-"

" _Martin, honey, this sounds serious. If you have say something, you can say it to all of us and we'll stand behind you one hundred percent-"_

"Oh, for fucks sake- I am not the Avatar!"

There was silence on the other end of the line. They didn't hang up because Martin could still hear the soft ambiance noise of the house. There was the sound of the clock from the hallway, the clicking noise of Caitlin's rocking solar powered daisy sitting on the windowsill. Over the past three years his family had not changed the structure of the house much, so every time Martin visited for holiday, it felt like he never left. Despite that, as he listened to the background noise of the air conditioning kicking in, nothing sounded like _home_ to him.

The silence didn't last very long because his dad then said, " _Martin, what's going on?"_

"I um..." Martin readjusted his sweaty grip on the receiver. "They um..."

Considering all that has happened, Martin was proud of himself for keeping his emotions in check. He thought he could get through this just fine, but as he talked and heard his own voice unintentionally crack, he feared he was going to start bawling. Already a few tears leaked out of his eyes and he wanted to hit himself for such weakness.

"I, um... I am not the Avatar," he said finally. "They made a mistake."

" _But... how? That's-"_

"I don't know. I haven't... in the past three years I... I have made no progress. I never once firebended or earthbended or airbended-"

" _Martin, sweetie, you're probably not getting it right away. These things take time-"_

 _"_ No, mum, they told me straight to my face-"

_"Maybe you just have to try harder. Not every Avatar got it on the first try..."_

Martin had to pull the phone away from his ear, cradling the receiver against his chest to muffle his mum's voice. He could not listen to his mother's blessed words of encouragement. Not now. He hastily wiped at his face, his skin hot underneath his palm. When he brought the phone back up to his ear, his dad had taken him off of speaker phone.

" _Martin?_ " He asked. " _Martin, are you still there?"_

"Y-yeah..."

" _What happened, son?"_

"It's like I said, dad. They made a mistake. And... and they let me go."

" _Spirits... It's okay. These things happen. It's just a part of life. Look, I'm going to hand you over to your mum. I'm going to get dressed so I can pick you up_ -"

"I-I am not at the compound anymore. I left this morning."

" _What?_ " Anger rose in his voice. " _What? What do you mean?"_

"I left. I walked out of the compound-"

" _And they just_ let _you?! They didn't bother to call me or your mother to inform us?! What the fuck is wrong with them?! Did they even offer you a ride?!"_

"Whoa, dad, it's okay-"

" _No, it's not fucking okay! Avatar or not, you don't deserve to be treated like yesterday's newspaper! Where are you right now? I'm going to come pick you up-"_

"Dad- dad, look, just stop, okay? Just stop. Listen to me. I'm... I'm fine right now. I'm not hurt or anything. But... huh... I don't want to go home right now."

" _Wha... what do you mean?"_

"I... I need some time right now, okay? I've spent the last three years working my arse off to become the Avatar and now I'm not anymore. I want to figure out what to do with my life, what paths I can take."

" _You're seventeen, you don't need to make these type of decisions right now."_

"You're right, I am seventeen, and I don't need your permission."

That was a little cold. He didn't call home so he could start a fight. "I'm fine," he said in a gentler tone, backpedalling. "I'm not hurt. And I mastered my waterbending, so there's that. I can take care of myself, and I think I need to spend time doing just that: thinking about what I want. I'll call in with my progress every other day so you won't have to worry about me."

" _God, Martin, don't do this. Let us help."_

For some odd reason Martin couldn't explain, that pissed him off. Did his dad not trust him? Because he wasn't the Avatar anymore, he wasn't capable of taking care of himself? His lips thinned and with a bitter murmur, he said, "I'll call you later in the week," and hung up.


	10. Chapter 10

Martin rubbed a hand over his face. Frustration swirled deep in his gut. That was a stupid thing to do. His dad was already worried and angry over the situation, and Martin made it worse by acting like a angsty teenager. Some Avatar he nearly turned out to be.

He nearly called back. Nearly.

He was afraid if he did, his dad and his mum would only try to convince him to come home. They would probably succeed, and Martin would be home by tonight as an utter failure and a weak-willed moron who couldn't last a day without his parents coming to save him.

Geeze, that made him sound more like a angst-ridden fool. He needed to do something.

There was still the problem of finding a place to sleep. With Carolyn not paying him, he didn't have money for a hotel room or a hostel. Maybe if he asked _really_ _nicely_ , she'll let him kip out on the couch in the employee lounge.

Taking a few deep breaths, Martin let loose of his emotions. There was no point in being angry anymore. He needed to move forward and that's what he was going to do.

After a quick run to the loo, Martin spotted Douglas walking out from one of the offices, rubbing a sore hand over his neck. "Taking a break?"

"I've spent the last two hours bent over, doing nothing but paperwork," Douglas grumbled. "Yeah, I am taking a break. I am surprised you're still here. I thought you would be long gone by now."

"I have a job here."

Douglas blinked at him in surprise. "What? Really? Why?"

"Why not? It's an adventure! I get to interact with airbisons-"

"You get to clean up after them, your hair will forever smell like wet dog," Douglas chimed in. "Seesh, I only met you less than a few hours ago and already you're going to be working with me?"

Martin cocked his head. "What is that you do? You know, besides paperwork?"

"Smart ass. I teach the bison how to fly."

A tingle went up Martin's spine. He ignored it. "Aren't bison natural flyers...?"

"What I mean is, I teach the bison how to fly _with people._ With first time riders, the bisons are not fans of saddles or reigns. I gradually get them to be comfortable with that weight on their back."

Another tingle went up his spine. Martin has already scared Carolyn with his enthusiasm, he didn't want to do that with Douglas.

"Are you okay?" Douglas asked. "You're turning red."

There was a sudden noise, like a low pitched whistle, coming from outside. Douglas turned his head towards it. "Ah, Arthur's home."

"Is he another worker?"

"He's Carolyn's son. C'mon then, I'll introduce you."

 

 

 

 

 

They headed outside, back into the giant space where the bison rested and slept. Up in the sky, descending quickly, was another bison with a rider sitting on top of his head. Martin gave a little squeal of happiness, which earned him an amused eyebrow raise from Douglas.

The bison landed with soft _fwump_ , kicking up dust and scattered hay. The rider on top, Arthur presumedly, patted the fur in thanks. He was a young boy, fat in the face with thick, curly hair that made his head look rounder. He stood up from his seat and jumped off.

Martin gave a soft cry of horrid anticipation. From the top of the bison's head to the ground was nearly twenty feet of space. The moment Arthur jumped, Martin waited to hear bones snap, blood to spray and for a small boy to cry out in horrible pain.

Before Arthur's feet even reached the ground, a sudden gust of wind erupted like a tornado beneath him, slowing his descent, then set him down gently. The wind dispersed as if it was never there to begin with.

"An airbender..." Martin gasped.

"You never met an airbender before?" Douglas asked. "Didn't they have one at the compound?"

"They did... I mean, I didn't interact with him much." Master Chen was one of the first ones who stopped trying to train him. It was like the man didn't care if he trained the Avatar or not. "There was only one and he didn't stay long."

"Douglas!" Arthur cried out. He ran to them, arms wide, ready to hug. "You're back!"

The boy used airbending to propel himself off the ground, and with arms and legs spread wide, wrapped himself around Douglas' torso. He giggled madly. "OOF! Yes, hello there, Arthur."

"I thought you were never coming back! What happened?"

"It didn't work out. Let's leave it there."

Arthur frowned, then turned his gaze towards Martin. "Hello!" He said, detangling himself from Douglas. "Who are you?"

"Oh, um, hi! I'm Martin. I'm your new... ah, waterbender."

The squeal that emitted from Arthur's mouth was high pitched enough to be heard by dogs. Even the bison he rode in on turned his head away, grimacing at the sound. "Oh my gosh!" He said happily. "A waterbender! We have a waterbender! CAN I HUG YOU?"

"Calm down, Arthur," Douglas chastised, grabbing the boy by the hem of his shirt and dragged him back a few steps. "He just got here. Don't scare him away."

"Oh yeah. Sorry." Arthur loosened himself from Douglas' grip and immediately calmed down. "Hi, I'm Arthur. Welcome to MJN!"

"Um... thank you. Er, what does 'MJN' stand for anyways?"

"My Job Now."

At Martin's confused look, Arthur continued, "Dad _really_ didn't like it when mum got it in the divorce. And Mum likes to..."

"Rub it in his face," Douglas added on. "I never met the man, but from the way Carolyn talks about him, he's really-"

Arthur cut in. "Okay! He's... alright. He's... ah... alright."

There was an awkward pause. Arthur was playing with his hands, his face turned down, as he shifted his weight uncomfortably. Douglas sighed and said, "Arthur, why don't you show Martin around the place? Tell him what his new duties are?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, but I wanted to get it out there. :)

"... and in the morning we feed the bison hay, apples and watermelons! Most of the time the bison find their own food, choosing to fly off to eat the wild flowers from the nearby field, but for the babies who can't fly yet, we feed them by hand. Oh, you're going to love it here! The babies are sooooo cute! You will also have to clean the watering hole about once a week, which should be easy for you because you're a waterbender. Gosh, I'm so jealous..."

That was about the tenth time Arthur has said that. Every time he mentioned a duty that would involve waterbending, Arthur said how jealous he was.

"... over here is where we groom the bison. It's actually really easy because they like it when we wash them and comb their fur. It's a bit hard for Douglas and I because some of the bison, especially the males, are so big, and reaching certain areas is beyond our reach. With you here now, you can just waterbend a shower above their heads! That would be cool! I'm jealous..."

"Um..." Martin began. "Arthur, you keep saying that. Don't you like being an airbender?"

Arthur blinked up at him. The boy certainly didn't have the body of an airbender, who were lean and thin. "Of course I do!" He said, a little offended. "I love being an airbender... it's just..." he shrugged. "I... I don't know how to do it."

"What? But I saw you airbend earlier."

"Yeah, but that's simple stuff. I don't know how to do the more advance stuff, like jump twenty feet into the air or... jump thirty feet into the air or... jump fifty feet into the air..."

Martin was surprised. Because of the small population of airbenders, the government usually offered those who wanted to learn free lessons. Martin may have had a crappy master, but having one was better than nothing. "You don't have a master?"

Arthur shook his head. "A few years back a group of airbenders did give me a chance to train with them, but that meant I would have to... leave. To go the Northern Air Temple in Scotland. I mean, that sounded like fun, but if I left, then who'll look after mum?"

"Oh..." Martin could sympathize. It was hard enough to leave home when he was fourteen, and that was only two hours away. Arthur was only twelve. That's way too young to ask somebody to pack their whole life to move to a different country. "I see... well, you know what, Arthur? If you want, I can train you."

"What? But you're a waterbender."

"Yes, true, but I also trained with the White Lotus and I learned from them a few airbending techniques."

Arthur should join Disney. His eyes grew so wide, he made Bambi look like an ugly old shoe. "Really?" He whispered feverishly. "Really?"

With a grin, Martin took a stance, encouraging Arthur to do the same.

After a quick readjustment of how Arthur should hold himself, he mimicked Martin's pose perfectly. Taking silent cues of how they should move, they circled each other. Arthur already knew the basics of baguazhang so when Martin shifted, bringing his arms down, Arthur followed easily.

As Arthur moved, air followed behind swiftly behind him. "Oh my gosh!" He yelled, still moving. "I got it! Did you see that?"

"I do," said Martin. He didn't say it out loud, not even in the privacy of his own head, but he was disappointed air didn't follow him too. "You're doing it perfectly."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: baguazhnag, xingyuiquan and ba gua are the martial arts techniques used for airbending.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Mentions of extreme violence, lynchings.

Martin couldn't remember feeling this free, this happy in such a long time. As proud as he felt when he finally mastered his waterbending, it didn't come close to what he was feeling now.

Every morning he got up at six to feed the bison. He rose from the beaten, worn couch in the employee break room, shuffled over to the bathroom down the hall to wash his face and brush his teeth. As soon as he was freshened, he would go outside to one of the nearby sheds, pulling out the large bags of feed.

He'd measure out how much feed was needed, keeping a very detailed list of who needed what and how much. For the babies, he threw in a few cut strawberries to sweeten the feed and have it easier to swallow down. The adults got a combination of cantaloupe and apples.

Once they were fed, Martin went back inside to have his own breakfast.

While Carolyn allowed Martin to camp out in the employee lounge, he had to provide his own food. He had money in a savings account he had not touched since he was thirteen. He wouldn't be able to eat luxurious, but at least he wouldn't starve. He bought unknown brands of cereal, milk, cheap bread, pasta and sauce. He already got another job in town and hopefully that will help him from depleating his meager savings.

After breakfast it was time to clean the compound. This was relatively easy as all he needed to do was turn on the hose and scatter the water across the floor, sweeping away the straw debris and poop.

By the time he was done with this, Carolyn usually trickled in. "Good morning, Martin."

"Morning, Carolyn."

"Are you done cleaning the yard?"

"Hhmmm!"

"Well, aren't you a busy little bee. Gerti needs a bath today. Do you think you can handle it?"

"Of course."

"Good. Wait till the afternoon when it gets a little warmer."

Besides cleaning and feeding, there really wasn't much for Martin to do. The distribution of the bison to the Air temples was handled through Carolyn. Douglas, who came in late every day, was the one who taught them to fly. Arthur had school and did not make an appearance till nearly three in the afternoon.

Arthur had his own duties as well. While Douglas helped the bison to get use to the feel of the saddles, Arthur helped the bison get used to having an airbender ride them.

Both Douglas and Arthur would ride the bison high, and then Arthur, with a yelp of glee or a fake-scream, would jump off. What followed usually was Douglas prompting the bison to dive after him, to swoop down and catch the falling human before he struck the ground. Martin later found out this really wasn't part of the training. They only did it because it was fun.

In the late afternoon, once Arthur was done with the bison, Martin would teach him how to airbend.

"That's perfect, Arthur. Keep going."

Martin had drawn a large chalk circle in the empty car park in front of the compound. Arthur was using it as a guide for his ba gua. He kept his hands in a defensive position as his feet followed the curve of the circle. "How long do I have to keep doing this?" He asked. "I'm getting dizzy!"

"You can take a break."

Immediately Arthur fell back onto his bum with a huff. "Ugh! Do I really need to learn all this to airbend? Can't you just teach me the cool stuff?"

"You need to learn this before you can get to the 'cool stuff'," Martin said. "Otherwise you'll liable to blow yourself off in the wrong direction, fall over and crack your head open."

Arthur pouted unhappily. "I'm surprised you know so much, Martin. I mean, I know you told me the whole point was to help other airbenders, but... can I ask... why did you leave the White Lotus?"

Martin had been following the circle himself, practicing his footing. At Arthur's question, he jerked and tripped over his own feet. "Oh! Um... I didn't leave, Arthur. They... um... they kicked me out."

"What? Why? You're brilliant!"

"Unfortunately I wasn't brilliant enough. You see, they wanted to train the Avatar. But they didn't get the Avatar, they got me. I was part of a group that was suppose to be trained. But I didn't pass any of my tests and after a while, they got sick of trying to teach me and kicked me out."

"That's horrible!"

"It happens."

"But you're doing such a good job teaching me! Maybe it's not you who had a problem, Skip. Maybe you just had horrible teachers!"

"What did you call me?"

"What?" Arthur blinked. "Skip? Skip."

"Why are you calling me that?"

"Doesn't skip mean teacher?"

"Well, no, it means Captain of the vessel. If anybody here should be called skip, it's Douglas."

"I'm what now?" Douglas said, coming up from the side. He was pulling off the gloves he wore when he trained the bison. He was also wearing his special tunic which latched him onto the horns, keeping him attached should the animal suddenly decide to throw him off in mid-flight.

"Martin thinks I should call you skip."

"That sounds silly. Don't call me that." He groaned as he took a seat next to Arthur. "I think Gerti is pregnant again."

Arthur squealed happily. He clapped his hands. "She is?"

"Seriously?" Martin said, surprised. "I thought she was over fifty years old!"

"She is," Douglas said. "We try to keep her suitors away from her, let her enjoy her old age without having to worry about a miscarriage, but that old girl does what she likes. Now I'm really glad you're here, Martin. Considering Gerti's age, this is going to be a very delicate pregnancy. You will have to do constant water healing to ensure everything is going right. Carolyn and I will have to order more food..."

"I'll get right on that," Martin said, cutting him off. "Make me a list of what I can do. I have to go, I'm going to be late for my job."

"Oh yes, your _real_ job," Douglas mused. "Tell me, do they know you're a waterbender?"

Martin bit his lip sourly. No, they didn't know. Along with the 'No Benders Allowed' signs posted in nearly all of the restaurants in town, many establishments have also started hanging 'No Benders need to apply.'

The delivery place Martin applied to didn't have such a sign, but he chose not to divulge his abilities. Too many places didn't want to hire teenagers, even ones who were nearly eighteen years old.

"I can't live off my savings forever," Martin grumbled. "I'll see you guys later on tonight. I gotta go."

The sliding door to the main building suddenly opened up. Carolyn walked out, her hands clasped tightly as she strode quickly across the grass to them. Her lips were thin. "Martin," she said. "Don't go to work today. Call in."

"What? Why?"

Martin could literally see the blood drain from her face. She briefly glanced over to Arthur, and she prompted him to cover his ears. She didn't continue until his hands were up to his head. "There's been a... lynching in town."

" _Are you serious?"_ Douglas hissed.

"I just got a call from Carl," Carolyn continued. "A small group of non-benders had dragged a chi-blocked firebender out into the middle of town and..."

She swallowed. "Set him on fire."


	13. Chapter 13

As instructed, Martin called into work sick that day. He was still fairly new at the delivery office and was afraid he would be fired for missing work so early into his job. He apologized six times, promising over and over he'll be in tomorrow.

He then spent the rest of the night glued to the small tv they had in the employee lounge, watching the news.

_"According to locals, the fire bender who was attacked, Lucas Mason, was known as the town bully. He often used his bending to terrorize or intimidate those who crossed him, and back in 1994, he was accused of killing his neighbour's dog. At approximately at 3:15 pm, he was walking down St. Charles street when he was attacked by three Equalists and immediately disarmed. Local CTVs show him being dragged into the town square, where he was then covered in gasoline and set on fire. Mr. Mason is now in critical condition and it is unclear if he'll live through the week. Police are still looking for the Equalists involved with the lynching."_

Martin knew his history, he knew what Avatar Korra had to go through when the Equalists first rose in Republic City. While she had dismantled their main branch, many pockets of their so-called 'revolution' popped up all around the world. Just last year a train station in Berlin was bombed and a tram filled with bender olympians were killed.

At some point, Martin was meant to meet up with the leaders of the EQE- the Equal Elements group. Their mission was to bring awareness of the disadvantages non-benders faced, and to help those who needed it. Unlike the Equalists, who used terrorism to spread their message across, the EQE wanted benders and non-benders to work together to creat equality.

But now with this horrendous display of violence, the gap between benders and none-benders was going to grow.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Martin had been constantly switching out in between channels, hoping to find more information from a different news source. So far everyone has been saying the same thing, that the firebender was a jerk and somehow that justified his being set on fire. They didn't say it outright, but it was implied.

Martin turned to Douglas. He was waiting by the door, his keys in his hand. "Shouldn't you be heading on home?"

"I'm going to escort Carolyn and Arthur home first," said Douglas. "Before I leave, I want to make sure everything is locked up here."

The walls that surrounded the site were too big to scale. The only other areas to get in were through the front door, the delivery entrance, or through one of the four fire exits. The entrance door was locked with a giant padlock, and the fire exits could only be open from the inside. "Everything looks good," said Douglas. "For extra caution, when we leave, put something against the front door."

"Sure," said Martin, turning back towards the tv.

"You didn't answer my question," Douglas said. Martin heard him move closer, the keys in his hand jangling. "Are you going to be okay? I know this is scary."

"Is this the first time this has happened around here?" Martin asked.

He already knew what the answer was going to be. "No," said Douglas. "Though, this is the first time it's been so... extreme."

"I should contact someone."

"Like who?"

"I don't know. Maybe one of the White Lotus? This town is so close to the compound, they should be informed of what is happening here."

Douglas snorted.

At Martin's face, he said, "Sorry, no offense to your old crew mates, but history has shown the White Lotus to be more like 'bigger picture' kind of people. Unless you can get the Avatar down here, I don't think they're follow otherwise. You're better off contacting the EQE."

Fat luck that was going to do. Their resources were being spread thin at the moment, thanks to a waterbender celebrity who used his bloodbending to coerce women into his bed.

"Martin, turn that off," Douglas sighed, pointing to the tv. On the screen they were showing pictures of Amon and the history of Equalists. "Otherwise you'll never be able to get to sleep tonight. Come, lock up after me."

 

 

 

 

 

_"This is Malik of the White Lotus, how can I be of service?"_

"Malik, this is Martin."

There was a pause on the other line. While Martin did not know names of all of the White Lotus sentries, they all knew who he was. It was kinda nice to know his name still gave people pause when it was heard.

Malik gave a little cough and said, _"Ava- oh... um... Martin. Um... you're not suppose to call this number anymore. It's only reserved for-"_

"I need to talk to Master Shaquanda."

_"I... it's like four in the morning."_

"I know. Go get her. Please."

_"She's not here. Her and the other masters left a little over a week ago to California. There's a rumour the... um, the... the Avatar was there."_

"What? _California?_ Water is the next cycle, America is primarily a wind and earth population!"

_"Yeah, well, England is part of the fire nation and they found you, so..."_

Martin could hear the shoulder shrug. Good lord, they're going to find the wrong person. AGAIN. "Okay, that's not the reason why I called. Look, I need to talk to a master. Is anybody there?"

_"Sorry."_

"Damn. Then I need Master Shaquanda's email address-"

_"Martin, I can't. I'm sorry, but_ you're not the Avatar anymore. _I can't just hand out personal information to unauthorized people-"_

"Less than a month ago you were willing to lay your life down for me-!"

_"I'm sorry, but I can't! Technically, I am not even suppose to talk to you right now, this phone is only for private personnel only! I have to go. Goodbye."_

"No, don't-!"

CLICK.

Martin slammed down the phone harder than he intended. "Dammit," he cursed. "Dammit."


	14. Chapter 14

As the weeks passed, the circus show of calamity slowly died away. The police assigned to the area trickled down to one or two patrols, the businesses who didn't want to look like suspects replaced their 'No benders' signs back up, and local news all but stopped reporting on poor Lucas Mason, who was going to be blind and deaf for the rest of his life.

Martin would call the compound three more times trying to get in contact with a master. He was denied every time.

He didn't know why he was trying so hard. It was not as if this was his job anymore. Besides, they already caught the Equalists who had inflected the violence, so it was not as if Martin planned to pull a Scooby-Doo scenario.

He did his best to distract himself with work.

"One, two, three..."

Martin swirled the water around elegantly, his arms repeating the same movements over and over. It was a slow process. Martin was sending the tiniest vibrations through Gerti's blood and muscles, seeking out information from the body. For an expert healer, they would have to know the anatomy _extremely well_ to recognize subtle trauma/illness from solely reading the vibrations bouncing back to them. Luckily Martin was only scanning for one thing: heartbeats.

From the side, Carolyn, Arthur and Douglas looked on expectedly.

"Four... five," Martin said finally, pulling away. He bended the water back into the bucket next him. Gerti continued to idly chew on a full watermelon, ignoring him. It was given to her to keep her still. "Five heartbeats."

"Spirits," Carolyn breathed in amazement. "This old girl doesn't do things halfway, does she? Most airbisons only birth about two to three calfs."

"Carolyn, this is going to be the most difficult pregnancy any of the bison here have faced," Douglas said. "She's going to need around the clock care in the next three months."

Martin jerked. "Do they really give birth that fast?"

"These are spiritual animals. They always tend to be more elaborate than your average creature. According to rumours, dragons can lay up to fifty eggs in a single nest."

In the momentary pause, a sudden sharp noise echoed towards them from the front area of the compound.

DING-DONG!

Sitting at the front desk was a small silver bell Carolyn bought for customer service. It was barely used since most of her business deals were done through the phone or online. The noise was a unfamiliar one to Martin. "People actually use that thing?"

"Arthur," Carolyn said. "Go see who it is. Oh, and if it's tourists-"

"Tell them to go away far, go away fast," Arthur finished for her. He bounced merrily to the front. "Okay, mum!"

Carolyn turned back to Martin and Douglas. "Alright, here is the basic breakdown for the next three months. In another three weeks or so, Gerti is going to stop flying entirely. She's going to be too heavy and sluggish to fly. Martin, I know this is a lot to ask of you, but you may need to prepare yourself for a cesarean section."

"Holy spirits, really?"

"I'm going to have Herc on speed dial, but there's a chance he won't be available. Gerti has never had more than four calfs at once."

"Last time she did," Douglas said somberly. "She almost died."

"Right, _and_ she was younger back then. Five cubs will put a great deal of stress on her. That's why I'm asking you to really pay close attention when you perform your morning scans because-"

She cut off when Arthur started screaming.

"MUM? MUM! _MUUUUUM-!"_

Carolyn whipped her head around. She whispered a horrified, "Arthur?"

She dropped her clipboard, turned, then started running as fast as she could towards the front of the compound. " _Arthur_!"

"C'mon!" Douglas hissed to Martin. He snapped his fists out, creating a burst of flame, then took off after Carolyn.

The water in the bucket was barely enough for a decent-sized water balloon. Martin summoned it, wrapping the liquid around his right arm like a rippling sleeve. He was right on Douglas' heels, ready to take on whoever was upfront.

If they got through this without harm, Martin was going to teach Arthur how to fight.

They burst through the doors to front lobby, their elements at the ready.

Martin had been expecting a group of people, a burglar, perhaps even a rogue spirit. The only person in the lobby was a single man wearing a tan suit. His arms were politely clasped behind his back, his head turning curiously to Martin and Douglas' sudden entrance. It certainly wasn't the threatening scene Martin had been preparing himself for.

It still didn't explain why Arthur was hiding behind his mother, grasping the labels of her grey coat in fear. Carolyn had her arm raised. A chunk of rock hovered right next to her fist. "Get out," she snarled.

"Well," said the man in a very posh accent. "Aren't you a well-rounded group. Air, earth, water and fire. It's like being in Republic City."

"I said, get out!"

The man shrugged, unaffected by the threat of three experienced benders ready to take him on. As he turned, he purposely gave the entire room a long look-over, smirked, then walked quietly out the front door.

They waited another minute in silence, staring at the door, daring it to try something.

Carolyn broke the silence by dropping her rock, letting it shatter on the floor. "Arthur," she said, twisting around to grasp Arthur's face. "What did he do to you?"

"He didn't _do_ anything!" Arthur wailed, his face scrunching sourly up like he just ate an entire lemon. "He was there, and I said, 'hello, welcome to MJN Air. My name is Arthur and I welcome you-"

" _Arthur_."

"- right. Um... and he... he... just talked. At first it was super polite small talk, like how nice the facility was, how pretty it was... then he started saying things like... in a super creepy voice too! How _isolated_ it was. How _simple_ the security was."

Everyone shared looks. Martin wondered if his skin was as pale as Douglas', if his frown was as deep and fearful as Carolyn's. Without even saying it, they all knew they were thinking about poor Lucas Mason: the bender who was set on fire.

Arthur wiped at his eyes. "He knew I was an airbender. He said he's seen me and Martin out in the car park. He talked about how there's only a handful of airbenders left in the world and... and... how it was a _shame_ we weren't all finished off. That's when I starting yelling for you guys."


	15. Chapter 15

During one long month, Martin decided to go on a fast. He was so desperate to learn the other three elements, he thought he could pull them out through sheer will. He didn't tell anybody what he was doing. Though thinking back on it, Martin wasn't sure how starving himself would have made him a better Avatar.

Master Shaquanda found out what he was trying to do when he fainted halfway through a meditation session and put a stop to it. She began regulating his meals, but the desperation of learning the other elements was putting so much strain on Martin, he barely had an appetite to begin with. He lost weight, lost sleep, got headaches, and his skin broke out so badly, he had permanent pock marks on his chin, neck and back.

Because of the veiled threat from that mystery man at MJN, Martin's anxiety shot through the roof. He was now waking up every two hours to check MJN's perimeters and the bison. When he wasn't working, he was practicing his waterbending, silently cursing himself for not insisting on learning bloodbending. He even started teaching Arthur more offensive moves even though Arthur was nowhere ready to learn them.

It wasn't only Martin who was feeling the stress. It was getting harder and harder for Carolyn to find clients. The anti-bending movement was slowly building speed thanks to another firebender who killed an entire bus of children up north.

Douglas, who once enjoyed an active social life, was finding himself constantly threatened online, and was disturbed to find someone had leaked his home address on an anti-bending website. He was forced to take a week off work to move.

Though Arthur was trying his best to keep a stiff upper lip for his mum, Martin could tell even the stress was getting to the young boy. He had confided to Martin he was getting nightmares. Arthur was constantly dreaming of that man coming back, along with the Fire nation from three hundred years ago, to hunt him down.

A whole month passed and so far no other threat rose. Business was picking up again, Douglas was enjoying his new place and Arthur's nightmares slowly died away. He was even getting better at offensive airbending, and he would spend his free time trying to scale the walls in a single leap.

Martin did not feel the same.

"How often are you going to do that?"

Near the employee lounge there was a worn cardboard box filled with articles of old clothing. Shoes, shirts, trousers and a few skirts. Carolyn meant to use them as rags or play things for the baby bison. Martin took a shirt and a pair of trousers from the box, stuffed them with straw and created a crude scarecrow.

He erected it on a stake about thirty feet in front of him. For the past half hour Martin has been bending the water out of the air to form sharp icicles on his fingertips, then shooting them forward, impaling them on the scarecrow. He did for perhaps the thirty-fifth time when Douglas walked up, watching him.

"When I feel it's enough," Martin said, moving his arm over his head, summoning the particles of water all around him. "I need to keep on my toes, just in case we're attacked."

"You've done this dozens of times," Douglas said. "Don't you think you're overdoing it?"

"No. Yes. I don't know," Matin groaned. He twirled his arms again, gathering so much water it could fill a tub's worth, and brought it down like a scythe, slicing the scarecrow in half. The abused, wet scarecrow burst into a flurry of straw, littering the ground like snow. "I feel like I need to do _something_."

"I think you need to relax." Douglas jerked his head to the side, motioning for Martin to follow. "C'mon. Let's have some fun."

Ten minutes later Douglas was hitching on a saddle to one of the biggest bisons on the site: a four year old gal named Snoopadoop. Before Martin could open his mouth to ask why, Douglas said, "Arthur." Which was explanation enough.

The fur of the bison was so thick and coarse, it often looked like the saddles placed on the bison's back had nothing to hold them there. The moment Douglas was done adjusting the straps, they disappeared among the fluff.

"Climb up," Douglas said once he was done.

Martin didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled up Snoopadoop's back, resisting the urge to giggle wildly. He's been wanting to do this since he got here. He's never asked, he didn't feel it was his place to.

Once he up on the saddle, he was amazed of how high in the air he already was; Snoopadoop hadn't even left the ground yet.

Douglas climbed up more naturally than Martin did by stepping onto Snoopadoop's front knee, then hauling himself up, taking his spot at the front of the head. "Ready?" He asked. He slipped on a pair of worn, leather gloves, then took hold of the reigns.

"Born ready," Martin said.

Douglas grinned and snapped the reigns. "Yip-yip!"

Snoopadoop gave a little roar, then heaved off the ground.

Like a car warming up, Snoopadoop barely rose into the air, taking her sweet time to rise. She lazily circled the site, flying over the watering hole and other bisons, gaining elevation with every pass. Some of the younger bisons tried to follow by flying right next to her, but they were still too young to fly so high. As soon as the calfs drifted back down next to their watchful mothers, Douglas gave the reigns another _snap_.

Martin was thrown back, surprised by the sudden increase in speed. Snoopadoop rose swiftly into the sky, leaving the site way far down below. Higher and higher they climbed, not stopping until MJN was nothing more than the size of a cereal bowl below them.

From this height, Martin could see everything. The local town, the long road leading to the White Lotus compound, and the long, endless forest, stretching out far and wide. It was incredible and beautiful and if he stretched out far enough, he could probably touch a cloud.

Unable to contain it any long, Martin threw his hands up into the air, and cried out happily. "HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYAH!"

Everything drained away. His fears, his anxiety, all of it washed away silently like the clouds they were passing. He felt so good, so free, he thought about pulling an Arthur and throwing himself over the edge just to free fall towards the ground.

He didn't know he'd been leaning so far over the saddle edge until Douglas suddenly jerked the reigns, causing Martin to fall back onto his bum. "What are you doing?" Douglas said, turning around from his seat. "You looked like you ready to fall over!"

"Oh..." Martin said, blinking away his excitement. What was he doing? "I... I guess I got a little too enthusiastic about the sights..."

Douglas huffed and turned back around. "Don't do again. You're not an airbender, you can seriously hurt yourself even if you fell only a few feet."

They flew for a good hour, and Douglas was even nice enough to let Martin take the reings for a bit. Flying a bison was a bit harder than Martin thought. Every tiny tug represented a different command, causing the bison to sway like a ship on the ocean.

Once Snoopadoop showed signs of getting tired, they flew her down to the field near MJN where other bison grazed on wildflowers.

"Oh my spirit!" Martin crooned once they landed. He jumped over the saddle and slid down Snoopadoop's tail. "That was amazing!"

Douglas grinned. He climbed off Snoopadoop's head. "You should've been here a year ago. Snoopadoop hated the saddle and often tried to throw me off. If it wasn't for Arthur, I'm pretty sure this girl would have killed me."

Martin has never felt so connected to the sky in his life. It felt like a crime to keep such an amazing experience to himself. A hundred years ago, Martin would have never been allowed to even look upon an airbison, let alone ride one.

"I don't understand, Douglas," Martin said. "Why did you want to give this up?"

"Oh, I don't know," Douglas said. He sat down, leaning his back against Snoopadoop's fluffy fur. Martin followed suit, sighing contently. "Did you ever feel like you had a great destiny, that you were meant for something more? Some people join the military, others become missionaries, I chose to join the White Lotus. I mean, you worked with the White Lotus. You had a chance to work with the Avatar. Why would you give _that_ up?"

Martin touched the aeroplane pin. He still kept it on his chest, wearing it proudly. "I didn't want to, at first. Work with the White Lotus, I mean. I think I was too young when they recruited me. I hadn't even kissed a girl yet and already it was expected for me to master my element. It was too much responsibility at the time."

Martin often didn't feel like a student when he was back at the compound. He felt like dog on a leash, being told to jump through hoops over and over until he got it right. Maybe... maybe if they just gave him a little more freedom, allowed him to find his own path, he would have mastered the elements long ago.

Wait, he wasn't the Avatar. Right.

"Holy crap," Douglas said. "I didn't know the White Lotus recruited that young."

"Hmm? Oh... yes! They, um, do. It's to... um, install loyalty and discipline among ranks. But when the others moved on and I didn't, they kicked me out."

"But that's so strange. I'm not a waterbender, but I think you're pretty good at it."

"Not good enough, apparently."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: shit goes down.


	16. Chapter 16

Hurricane Chin was raging hell in the middle of the Atlantic ocean. While it was still a hundred miles away from the nearest human, the resulting rain and winds was enough to cause major damage to those unprepared. For MJN, who had simple metal roofs for the bison during the rainy days, were the first to be ripped off and carried away in the wind.

The main building was still standing, but just barely. The power was already out, forcing Carolyn to rely on a generator. She didn't care if the fridge was spoiling all the food, what mattered most to her were the lights. If those turned off, they were screwed.

Carolyn was inside at the moment, a nice reprieve from the raging rain storm outside. She was still soaked to the bone, her clothes stuck uncomfortably to her skin, but it was of little consequence. She turned off her phone, cursing. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

She ran back outside. The moment she opened the door, the wind around her screamed loudly, piercing her ears. Rain slammed against her, making her to take a step back from the force alone. She held her hand up to stop the rain from pelting her in the face, though it did little to help. All around bisons huddled in makeshift caves Carolyn had erected earlier to keep them dry.

She was running to the biggest stone cave. It took her nearly ten minutes to construct it perfectly for their needs. "Bad news," she announced as soon as she got out of the rain. "Herc isn't coming. A tree fell on his car, he's stranded."

Everyone shared the same horrified look. They all knew what this meant.

Martin squealed. "Carolyn!" He said, swallowing. His wet, red hair stuck to his forehead. "I... I can't do this alone. I'm not ready."

"We'll have to deal," Carolyn said. "How is she?"

Carolyn was referring to Gerti.

Of course the old gal would suddenly decide to give birth a month early, and on the day a raging storm was attacking the whole country. Carolyn had immediately called Herc to come and help with the birthing process, only to be told his car had been smashed to smithereens.

While Douglas and Carolyn were experienced in aiding the bison birthing process, they always had a vet on standby should something go wrong. Martin was a great asset, but has never helped a live birth before. Let alone one that involved a fifty year old bison.

"She's in a lot of pain," Douglas said as he slipped on gloves that fit up to his forearm. "Martin is doing his best to relieve it. Her cervix has not opened fully yet. Maybe in another twenty minutes."

"Alright. Arthur, how are you doing?"

Carolyn wanted Arthur to stay home. Unfortunately she had no one to watch him, and he wouldn't have stayed anyways. It also helped as an airbender, Arthur's mere presence soothed many of the bison. Right now he was kneeled in front of Gerti's head, gently stroking her fur. "I'm fine, mum," he said. He was the least wet of everyone.

Martin had not stopped moving for the past hour. The bright blue hue from his healing water swirled constantly over Gerti's very-pregnant belly. When this was over, he was going to be exhausted. Sweat intermingled with the rain water on his forehead.

As promised, less than a half hour later, Gerti's cervix began to dilate. It was barely opened before the first calf began pushing through.

"Shit!" Douglas said, stretching out his arms to help the calf come through. "Carolyn! She's pushing hard-!"

The calf was already slipping out of Gerti before Carolyn had a chance to step up and help. Douglas heaved under the weight of the wet, bloody, wailing newborn calf in his arms. Carolyn quickly helped him carry it over to a pile of dry straw, setting it down gently.

From there, Carolyn quickly cleared away the mucus from obstructing the calf's breathing. Douglas cut the umbilical cord with a clean, sharp knife.

"Perfect," Carolyn breathed, watching the baby calf weakly kick its six legs. She feared by giving birth a month early, the calfs would be too weak to breath on their own. This calf was smaller than usual, but everything looked normal. "Alright, next one!"

Over the next twenty minutes Carolyn and Douglas continued to pull calfs, one right after another, from Gerti. The horrific pressure that had been tormenting Gerti was slowly draining away, lessening her pain. Carrying five airbison calfs proved too much on her old body. By the time the last calf was pulled out, Gerti was practically purring at the lack of pain she felt.

"Oh spirits," Carolyn breathed as she wiped down the last calf. "They're perfect. Everyone is breathing well and on their own."

The calfs were all wailing for mother's milk, but Gerti would be too sore to feed at the moment. Arthur was setting up a feeding machine, already filled with formula, and lowering it down near the ground for the calfs to suckle on. "They're so cute!" He cooed as the calfs sought out the artificial nipples. "Mum, can I name them?"

Covered in blood and mucus, Carolyn gave out a groan. "You already named Snoopadoop, and that's a mouthful. No, Arthur. These calfs are going to the Eastern Air Temple when they're old enough."

"AW!"

Martin continued with the healing water, feeling like his arms were about to fall off at any moment. He wasn't going to last another five minutes.

"Hold on," Douglas said, filling up a large syringe. "In another minute, Martin. In another minute..."

The medicine was designed to help Gerti sleep. When she woke up again in a few hours, she would be in less pain and ready to connect with her newborn babies. Douglas administered the syringe underneath one of Gerti's legs.

The airbison gave a grateful little mewl, and slowly drifted off to sleep. The moment her whole body relaxed, Martin dropped the water.

He fell back on his bum, unable to hold himself up any longer. "I can't..." he panted, unable to get a breath in. "Feel... my... arms...! Spirits!" He groaned, and curled up on the ground, uncaring a pool of bison bodily fluid was only a few inches away from his head.

Douglas leaned down and patted Martin's shoulder. "That'll do, pig. That'll do."

"I will waterbend your face!" Martin hissed, half-giggling.

Douglas chuckled. "I do mean it though, you did a good job." He patted Martin's shoulder one last time and straightened.

The lights suddenly went off, pitching them into darkness.

Achingly, Martin sat up. For a second, no one said nothing. All that could be heard was the pounding rain from outside their little makeshift cave. Douglas twisted his hand, summoning a small flame in his palm. "The rain must've-"

"No," Carolyn snapped. There was a thread of fear in her voice. "The generator was built to withstand the elements. Someone knocked out the power."

"Equalists?" Arthur asked quietly.

"Arthur, Martin, stay here with Gerti. Douglas, with me."

Though the MJN building was only a hundred feet away, the moment Douglas and Carolyn ran back into the rain, they disappeared from sight. Martin forced himself to his feet, feeling every atom in his body telling him to sit his arse back down.

"We should've brought torches," Arthur murmured, coming up next to Martin. "I can't see mum..."

A horrible, ugly feeling was settling in deep of Martin's chest. This was wrong, this was all wrong... "Arthur, give me your phone."

With a sniffle, Arthur pulled out his slightly damp phone from his back pocket. As Martin punched in the numbers to the police, he kept his eyes out in the distance, waiting for the others to come back. He should have made them stay.

After two minutes, Martin pulled the phone away from his ear in disgust. All the lines were engaged. It must be due to the weather and everyone was probably calling in with emergencies of their own. Shit.

Martin hesitated on his next call. For a blinding second he believed he was abandoned and calling them would be pointless. Nobody was going to come to his rescue and he was better off praying to some spirit who was watching far, far away.

With a curl of his lip, he dialed in the numbers.

_"Hello, this is-"_

"This is Martin. Put Master Shaquanda on the phone."

_"For petty's sake, Martin, I told you you can't-"_

"Malik, if you don't get a Master right now, I swear to the moon  I will come over to the compound, freeze your arse in a block of ice and _bloodbend your skeleton out of your fucking eyes!_ Now, shut the fuck up and go get a Master! NOW!"

Malik paused. Then in a quiet voice he said, _"Give me a second."_

Martin kept his gaze towards the main building, but he still couldn't see Douglas or Carolyn. He should go see, maybe they need help. He couldn't just leave Arthur though...

Suddenly Master Shaquanda's voice came over the phone. _"Martin? What's going on?"_

Spirits, Martin had no idea how much he missed her until that moment. As angry he felt with her when he left, she was still an incredible mentor. "I'm over here at MJN, the airbison breeding site. I believe it's being attacked by Equalists. I need backup."

He was afraid she'd say no. That he wasn't worth protecting anymore, that his only worth in this world was to be their Avatar-

 _"We'll be there in twenty minutes,"_ Master Shaquanda said without hesitation. _"Hold on and stay safe."_

"Mum should be back already," Arthur said as soon as Martin hung up. "Martin... we have to go see..."

"No, Arthur," Martin said. "Not until we know it's safe."

Somebody was walking through the rain, slowly making their way towards them. Martin could barely make out their silhouette. It didn't look like Carolyn; this person was much taller than her, but it also didn't look like Douglas. Martin squinted, as if that would help.

There were more than four silhouettes coming towards them.

"Arthur," Martin said, grabbing his hand. "We have to go, we have to go _now_."

"Martin-! We can't leave Gerti!"

They were going have to. Martin dragged Arthur out of the earth erected cave, then twisted around, and threw both of his hands up into the air. A giant wall of water rose up over the mouth of the cave, then froze within the next second. There was a good four inches of ice to keep bison safe. Hopefully.

Taking Arthur's hand again, he started running in the opposite direction. It was so dark, Martin had no idea where they were, where they could hide. If he could just get to the wall, he would waterbend both himself and Arthur over and wait for help to arrive.

That was assuming he had energy. Martin could barely run. At the speed he was going, he wouldn't even call it jogging. Water was suppose to be his element but the harsh rain was only making it harder for him to breath.

There was a sudden noise, nearly silent under the roar of the rain. He ducked just in time to watch a bola fly over his head. It struck the muddy, soaked ground a few feet away.

"Arthur, get back!"

Martin barely managed to block the second one by summoning water to deflect it. His arms felt like jelly. It was impossible to move so fast.

"When I give the signal," Martin wheezed to Arthur. Oh spirits, he could barely keep standing, he was so tired. "Run."

He was going have to finish this in a single, big move. Hit them fast, hit them hard, giving Arthur the time to run. With great pains, Martin raised his arms up, spreading his influence through the water. When he was fourteen, a small cup of water felt like he was holding a ten pound weight at the end of the stick. Back then, he was untrained and and weak. It was a miracle he was able to lift it at all.

Today, as exhausted as he was, he managed to stop every single drop of rain in a fifty foot radius.

"Oh, wow..." He heard Arthur whisper in awe.

With all of his might, Martin wrung his arms to the left. All the water twisted with him like a wave, gathering together to create an enormous thick wall of water swirling endlessly around him and Arthur.

"READY?" Martin cried out. Oh dear lord, he was going to faint-

With a yell that could only be produced from sheer will and anger, Martin flung his hands out, releasing the water wall, sending it out like a tidal wave. It went in all directions, catching everything in its path. He could hear the screams of those who were caught in it, washing them away violently.

With that, Martin dropped his hands. He was done. He could do no more.

He fell to his knees, then to his side. Rain pelted his face, and he had to move his head to keep himself from drowning from the onslaught.

Arthur was there, kneeling down next to him.

"Arthur," Martin gasped. "Why didn't you run?"

The boy shrugged. "I can't jump the wall. Not yet."

That's right, Martin forgot. Arthur could get himself near the top, but he would miss it by a good three feet. Maybe with another month of practice he could jump the wall with ease. Not now.

Martin did his best to keep conscious. Exhaustion was pulling him under. The last thing he saw before his eyes dimmed were the black shadows slowly converging on them.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter I've been wanting to write since I first saw the prompt. Hope ya'll enjoy. =D

_In all, there were eighty-seven statues. Martin thought there shoulde be more considering the Avatar has been around for ten thousand years, but thinking more intently upon it, he supposed the amount of statues here were correct. The average lifespan of an Avatar was between forty to seventy years, with the exceptions of Kiyoshi and Aang._

_Master Shaquanda stood back quietly and allowed Martin to roam the open hall of statues. When he noticed she stayed by the door, he said, "Um... are you not allowed in here?"_

_"I've been here many times," she said. "But today it's not about me. This is your moment, you should see your past reincarnations without distraction."_

_"You're not a distraction," Martin mumbled, staring at these tall, imposing statues all around them. None of them were painted or carved with noticble irises, making them look as if they were all blind. It's suppose to represent the Avatar state, he thought._

_He was surprised to see a few statues were devoid of faces all together. "Why are these faceless?" He asked, reaching out to touch one. The stone underneath his fingers was not weathered away by time or nature; the stone had been purposely cut like this._

_Master Shaquanda sighed. "We don't know who they are."_

_Martin gaped. "How could you not know?"_

_"Sometimes Avatars don't reveal themselves. Sometimes they die at an early age. Sometimes Avatars are born during a time of peace and spent their lives in a rather uneventful way. For example, we do not know the names or faces of the second or third Avatar, as the reincarnation cycle had not become well known till after. It was only through Avatar Korra we even know who Avatar Wan was."_

_"How come she didn't tell you about the others?"_

_"Remember your history. For a few years, she had lost her connection to her past lives. It took decades for her to build that connection again. The farther back you go, the harder it is to remember. The only person who would know the answer to these faceless Avatars is you, Martin."_

_He touched the stone again. The statue was clothed in gender-neutral robes, the symbol of their elemental was carved on their chest._

_Maybe their lives were uneventful, but it was still their lives, Martin thought. They should be remembered._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Martin opened his eyes. He blinked once, twice, then tried to move. Unimaginable pain shot through him and he jerked as his muscles violently contracted. He curled in on himself, groaning.

A gentle hand laid on his back. "Take your time." It was Douglas. "You've been chi-blocked. The pain will wear off in a few minutes, but your bending won't back for another couple of hours."

"Where..." Martin gritted through his teeth. "Are we...?"

"Um... maybe you should go back to sleep."

"Ungh..."

Against his body's wishes, he forced himself to sit up. His back screamed at the movement, promising him more pain later on. Martin rubbed at his eyes, brushing away the dried mud from his cheeks.

His clothes were dry, so was his hair. How long had he been unconscious?

It looked like they were in a prison cell. Three concrete walls and a set of heavy iron bars kept them from leaving. Unlike a prison cell, there was no toilet, no bed, nothing for them to sit on. Carolyn and Arthur were sitting by one corner, Arthur leaning into his mother's arms while she quietly stroked his hair.

"What happened?" Martin asked.

"Equalists," Douglas said as if that wasn't obvious enough. "But there's a lot more people here than just us, Martin. There are more cells down the hallway. From what I saw, I think they attacked the whole town."

"The whole...?" The small town of Fitton didn't have a high population of benders to begin with. With tensions already running high from the anti-bending movement, those who could prove to be a threat had already moved. The ones who stayed, who could call themselves masters, were too old to fight.

"Equalists had used the storm as their cover," Carolyn huffed in disgust. She continue to stroke Arthur's hair. "They took advantage of the one night when emergency personnell were too busy helping others to focus on possible raids. It could be hours before anyone notices we're gone."

Spirits, how could Martin been so blind? An operation like this was not done by a small group of extremists. There were possibly hundreds of Equalists hiding in plain sight- and so close to the compound too.

During a storm like this, it was quite possible to rid all of the problamatic benders and simply claim they were swept away with the water. Take full control of a single town, and slowly move up.

What if Fitton wasn't the only town? There were plenty of other small areas like Fitton, ripe and ready for the taking. Maybe... maybe...

Martin didn't know. This was so big, and the idea was overwhelming him. So many people could be hurt right now. They could be dead.

His thoughts were cut off when a man suddenly screamed in the distance. He was pleading, crying, begging whoever was in front of him to 'not take his bending away.'

Martin was immediately on his feet, rushing to the iron bars, trying his best to stick his head out to see. The bars were too close together to allow him, but he did his best to shove his cheek against the cold metal, trying to see. It was an useless act.

"What's going on?" He urged, looking back to the others. "Have they've been doing this the whole time I've been unconscious?"

"Yes," said Carolyn, who was doing her best to cover Arthur's ears from the man's cries. It sounded like Equalists were dragging the man down the hall as his yells got quieter and quieter, then ceased all together.

"Our bending," Martin gulped. "Have they...?"

"We're fine," Carolyn said. "For now. I don't know if they have a bloodbender in their mists or if they found another way to rid of our abilities."

Douglas grunted, "Amon nearly destroyed the whole Equalist movement when it was revealed he was a waterbender. It has to be something else."

Unless they're just killing them, Martin thought darkly. Make them think they're only losing their bending, not their lives, make them believe the Avatar could restore their bending later on, make them complacent. They already killed a firebender in one of the worst, malicious of ways. Who knows how far they're willing to take this.

Over the next hour they listened to various people, women and men, be dragged out of their cells to their awaiting fate. Every time someone screamed, Martin got to his feet and rushed to the bars, willing for his waterbending to come back.

"Martin," Douglas said gently, pulling him away from the bars. "There's nothing you can do. We just need to wait for rescue."

Rescue. Martin thought of Master Shaquanda. He wondered if she was at MJN right now, looking over the damage, trying to figure out what had happened. Unless she and the others were here too, somewhere down the hall, awaiting their fates.

No, Martin thought, shaking his head. The White Lotus were trained, seasoned masters.

But if the scale of the Equalists were as big as Martin was estimating, then the White Lotus could be overwhelmed. For all Martin knew, Master Shaquanda only came with a few sentries. If she came at all.

Martin has never felt so helpless in his life. His hand kept reaching for his chest, trying to touch the aeroplane pin to reassure himself, but it was gone. Perhaps it was lost in the fight or it was taken off of him.

The noises were getting closer.

"I think we're next," said Douglas, standing up. He got into a stance. "I am not going without a fight-"

The moment he said that, three people in Equalist outfits appeared in front of the cell. They wore goggles instead of the traditional full masks, and in their hands they held what Martin thought was a gun.

It was taser.

Before Martin could even yell out a warning, Douglas was struck in the chest by two bolt wires. A second later, he lit up like a Christmas tree, blue electricity erupting all around him as he cried out in pain.

Martin stepped forward to help, only to be struck too.

For his training, Martin has been chi-blocked to understand what it was like. It was horrible, painful, and above all, numb. It felt like the pins and needles sensation you got when your foot fell asleep, only extended to his whole body. He has never been shocked before though. His Masters thought that was too cruel a training to put him through.

The taser was unlike anything he's experienced before. Though his eyes were closed, he could still see the flashes of blue light. He was screaming, but it sounded so far away to his ears. All at once it was like he was being stabbed on every inch of skin, cutting him deep and severing his veins. The moment it stopped, he dropped like broken puppet, curling in on himself, groaning.

Through the pain he still managed to hear the horrible command: "Get the airbender. He's the last one for tonight."

"No..." Martin wheezed.

Carolyn was saying something, a curse or yell, as Martin struggled to get to his feet. A second later he heard her scream too. The familiar crackling sound of electricity being shot through a human body filled the air.

Martin raised his head achingly just in time to see Carolyn drop. A large man strode forward, holstering his taser, reached down and grabbed Arthur around the arm.

"MUM!" Arthur cried out, unable to fight off the six foot brute who was dragging him out of the cell. "MUM, MUM, MUUUUUUM!"

"No...!" Martin pushed through the pain, struggling to get to his feet. His knees collapsed under him, his whole body threatening to drag him into unconsciousness. Flashes of light danced in front of his eyes. "No...!"

The cell door closed. The pounding feet and sobbing cries of Arthur echoed down the hallway.

"No! No! No!"

Gathering strength, Martin surged up. He stumbled, kept his footing and ran up to the cell door. He pounded his fists against the metal, begging it, willing it to open. "No!"

He slapped the metal once last time, rattling it in its place. His chest heaving, Martin moved back, bent his knees and rooted his stance into the earth.

Please, he thought. If there was ever a time for his earthbending to show, it was now.

"Martin..." Douglas gasped. He struggled to get up. "What are you doing?"

Martin extended his will deep into the earth as far as he could. He was going to move that cell door. It was going to open and they were going to leave and they were going to save Arthur. It was his goddamn destiny.

With all of his strength, Martin thrusted both of his fists out, willing the metal to bend under his influence.

It didn't move. It didn't even rattle.

"C'mon..." Martin muttered, correcting his stance again. "Come on!"

He thrusted out his fists again. The sweat from his knuckles flew off, but the hinges of the door did not.

"No," He whispered brokenly. This was it, this was the fucking moment. There was always one in every Avatar's life. If he were to ever call upon his earthbending, it should be now. Now. Now. NOW.

"Move!" Martin commanded, screaming now. He ran up the door and started slamming his fists against it. The door rattled heavily under every punch. His fists split open, spilling his blood, but he continued punching. "Move, move, move, move!"

"Martin," Carolyn said, grabbing him by the arm. "Stop it, you're not an earthbender, you're only hurting yourself!"

Her son was just taken a minute ago and here she was, trying to comfort him. It should be the other way around. Martin wretched his arm out of her weak grasp and moved away from her, the entirety of his world falling down upon him. Unable to hold himself up any longer, Martin managed to stumble to the nearest wall, bumping his shoulder against it before sliding down to his bottom. He hanged his head in shame.

"It'll be... fine," Carolyn said, her throat thick. "They'll only take away his bending. As soon as we get out of here, the Avatar will... restore it."

"No," Martin said. "The Avatar won't."

"He or she can. They've done it before, we-"

"No. I can't. I've never been able to."

He didn't see their expressions, but he sensed their surprise. There was a notable second of complete silence from the both of them. They even stopped breathing. Finally, Douglas asked, "What...?"

Martin rolled his body against the wall to face them. Tears ran freely down his face. "I'm the Avatar."

"Or at least, I was," he said quickly. "When I was fourteen the White Lotus came to my house and said I was the Avatar. I spent the last three years of my life training with them, but... they chose wrong. I've never bended any other element except water. That's why I'm here in Fitton. That's why I was a homeless, jobless, waterbender. They eventually realized I wasn't the Avatar and they threw me out."

Carolyn covered her mouth with her hand and turned away. Did he just take away her last hope? Good job, Martin.

Douglas however, looked furious. His fists shook at his side. "Why didn't you tell us this?"

"Because I am not the Avatar," Martin said. "It was an accident. I just hoped for a second there that maybe... maybe they were wrong, but..."

"No, you berk. I mean, why didn't you tell us this _sooner?"_

Martin blinked up at him, confused.

With a jerk of frustration, Douglas grasped at his hair. "You clod!" He said. "You blasted... CLOD! Martin, have you ever wondered why I was on that road to the Compound?"

"Uh..." he wiped at his eyes. "You said you wanted to be a White Lotus member-"

Douglas hissed out, "I was _lying._ Why would I leave everything so I could wear those stupid robes and eat fucking tofu all the time? For fun? No! I had a dream a week earlier, Martin. I dreamt a spirit talked to me, and told me it was _my_ destiny to teach the Avatar firebending."

He wretched himself away, gripping at his hair more violently now as his words got more and more hysterical. "Everyone said I was crazy! That it was ludicrous to leave my job based off of a dream! But I did! I quit MJN, and I rode to the Compound and- and- and instead of meeting the Avatar... I met _you_."

Martin felt like he was unfurling, that his skin was coming apart at the seams. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, because it was impossible what Douglas was saying. Martin failed the last three years of his life. No matter who taught him, he has never bended any other element.

 _Maybe you just need the right teacher,_ the words of Arthur echoed back to him.

All of their conversations flashed in his mind. Douglas talking about a great destiny, Carolyn who thought Douglas brought home the Avatar because she knew he left to met him. It was all so coincidental that Douglas, Carolyn and Arthur were the three elements Martin had never master...

" _Holy shit_..." He breathed in realization.

Douglas nodded in confirmation. "Holy shit indeed. Get up from that floor."

He did, quickly. He wiped at his face again, his heart pounding fiercely in his ears. Douglas steered him to the cell door. "Take a stance," he said.

Martin did. He wiped at his eyes again before settling into firebending pose.

"Firebending is about passion," Douglas began, his voice trembling lightly. "It's about love, it's about hate, it's taking that emotion that dwells deep in your belly and forcing it out, creating heat. What is your passion, Martin?"

"I... I don't know."

"Not good enough, try again."

"I... I want to fly. I want to be a pilot."

"Alright. Then take that passion of yours, gather it in your fists, and thrust it forward. Now!"

Martin punched forward. Nothing happened.

"Try again," said Douglas.

Martin surged his fist back, breathing deeply to feel that swell in his belly. _I want to fly,_ he repeated in his head. _I've always wanted to fly, and I actually got to! On the back of an airbison..._

He punched forward again, harder this time. Nothing happened.

"C'mon, Martin!" Douglas said to him. "Are you that lazy? This is your dream, are you going to give up on that? Do you want to be grounded for the rest of your life?"

He was going to fly one day. He had wanted to learn airbending so badly, he nearly killed himself when he tried to throw himself off the watchtower roof in order to force his airbending to emerge. He'd stolen a glider just so he could admire it in secret. The amount of dreams he had about being able to lift him off the ground haunted him during the day. He wanted to fly, he wanted to fly, he wanted to fly...

With a roar, Martin thrusted his fist forward. All of his love, hate, frustration rushed through him, connecting to his arm, demanding to be released at once. "YAHHHH!"

Nothing happened.

Not a spark, not a flash, not even a flicker. Slowly, Martin loosened his fists. He took a step back, his arms falling to side, the fight going out of him.

They were both wrong.

Suddenly, Carolyn spoke up. "You fucking morons."

They turned to her. Martin thought she was chastising him for claiming to be the Avatar, for Douglas encouraging this behaviour. Then she said, "Everyone knows when you train the Avatar, the best way is to follow the reincarnation cycle."

They stared at her, confused.

She rolled her eyes. _"What comes after water?!"_

Of course. "Earth," the boys said at the same time.

"Move over," Carolyn said, elbowing Douglas out of the way. "Martin, root yourself to the earth."

Martin moved out of his firebending pose. Firebending involved powerful kicks and punches, but was also designed to allow the person quick movement. Earthbending was heavier, slower, but no less powerful. Martin bent his knees, practically squatting as Carolyn approached him.

Unlike Douglas, whose approach was posturing and screaming with energy, Carolyn inched closer to Martin and delicately whispered into his ear.

 _"Earthbenders are the most stubborn people you're ever going to meet, Martin_ ," she said, her breath tickling his ear. _"Just look at me. Everyone said I was crazy, that there was no way I could hold a business of breeding such fantastical animals. And yet ten years later, here I am. We learn from a young age that the earth moves for us, not the other way around. When people tell us to move, we stand strong, we face forward and we take on anything thrown in our way. That door right there is the only thing standing in your way. Are you going to let it keep you from being the Avatar?"_

"No," said Martin, staring at it.

Carolyn moved back, straightened her back and said, "THEN KNOCK THE MOTHER FUCKING THING DOWN!"

Martin moved his arm back.

-I'm not the Avatar, he remembered saying to himself. He didn't want to leave home, he didn't want to give up his chance to fly. Now, more than anything, he wanted to be the Avatar. He wanted to protect the people who opened their doors to him, who treated him like a person than their saviour. They represented a life he's always wanted and damn him to hell is he allowed any harm to come to it, to them-

He didn't hear himself scream. He didn't see the ground crack beneath his feet, the small pebbles suddenly lifting themselves up. All of his focus was on that metal cell door, and it was going to move- move- move- MOVE-

The hinges of the door cracked. The metal curled and groaned like a faraway beast, roaring into the night. All at once, the door collapsed on itself, flew back as if shot off by a gun, slamming against the wall behind it, then falling to the floor with a fantastic clang.

The remains of the twisted door rattled from side to side on the floor, then it slowed to a stop. Douglas, Carolyn and Martin all stared at it in silence for a long, quiet second. Douglas opened his mouth, an jubilant "WHOOP!" jumbled out, but Carolyn's voice was louder.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING STILL STANDING THERE?" She yelled at Martin. "GO AND SAVE MY SON, YOU AVATAR BERK!"

Martin ran. He jumped over the fallen door, and sprinted down the hall as fast as he could. The noise of the door alerted the guards, and they ran in at the end of the hallway. They spotted him, told him to stop, and brought up their tasers.

Using the momentum, Martin dropped to the floor and slid like a baseball player going for home base. The taser bolts flew right over his head, and Martin twisted, bringing up his legs to kick. A large block of rock rose out of the ground, striking two of the guards back, slamming them so hard their goggles shattered. They crumpled to the floor, groaning. The third one, unable to retract his bolts in time, dropped the taser and tried to go for his knife strapped to his hip. Martin was on him in a second, knocking his arm away. He kicked him in the knee, forcing him to drop.

Martin kicked him in the chest, throwing the guard back into a cell door. The metal bars broke and curled in on the guard like a dying spider, effectively trapping him there.

Martin grinned. He couldn't believe he just did all that. It was so easy too-

"Martin!" Douglas yelled at the end of the hallway. "Go find Arthur! We're going to help the others!"

Oh right. Celebrate later. Martin nodded to him and turned to leave.

"Remember," Douglas called out to him. "Passion! Fuel that fire in your belly and you'll be able to bend!"


	18. Chapter 18

Once outside, Martin immediately knew where they were.

In the beginning of Martin's training, the White Lotus compound was going under renovation due to damage from the current rain fall. For the first three weeks of training, they temporarily used an abadoned WWII army base.

During that time Martin didn't learn to bend. He exercised; running laps, stretching, yoga, weight training and other various body building routines. When those three weeks were up and the renovations were done, they went back to the compound. Martin hasn't been back to the base since.

Though it's been three years, he still remembered this place. The wide open spaces were ideal for running and jumping. It was quite a relaxing time for Martin. He'd been hopeful then, that maybe he was the Avatar and he could do great things-

 _Stop_ , he forced himself to think. He was the Avatar. Stop with the self-pity and focused what was important: saving Arthur and getting the hell out of here.

Martin's waterbending had not come back yet. Every time he paused behind a corner or wall, he would test to see if the chi-blocking had faded yet. The ground was still so heavily soaked from the passing hurricane. As proud as Martin was for learning earthbending, he would give anything right now to waterbend.

He was still unable to firebend or airbend. With only one element under his belt, and no Avatar State to be found, there was no way Martin could take on all of these Equalists. No, it was best to get as many people out of here and allow the White Lotus to take over.

Martin kept to the shadows, ducking and hiding whenever someone came near. There were plenty of buildings and cars to hide behind, but he didn't know where he was going. Where would have they taken Arthur?

Good lord. He was going have to _beat_ the information out of someone, wasn't he? And really, the idea shouldn't give him so much anticipated glee. It did. It so did.

He didn't know whom to grab. Nearly everyone was paired up or traveling in small groups. Should he risk taking two on at the same time? He didn't want to grab one only for the other to run off and alert everyone. He had to be smart about this.

There. Coming towards him were two people, a man and a woman. The man was talking loudly and a little bit too eagerly, obviously trying to flirt. The woman was listening, nodding, not outright rejecting him, but it was clear his over-enthusiasm was turning her off. She was merely being polite.

Perfect. Martin carefully calculated their steps, then kicked out at the ground. A thick stone popped out of the ground right in front of the woman. Her foot connected with it, and face planted right into the mud.

SPLAT.

It would've been tragic if it wasn't the way she eagle-spread onto the ground. Like belly flopping into the pool. The man stopped, gasped in surprise, and instead of helping her up or even asking her if she was okay, he pointed and started laughing.

It worked better than Martin thought it would. The woman got up, spitting and gagging, and when the man still showed no signs of sympathy towards her, she gave him the bird and angrily walked away.

"Come on," the man wheezed out, his laughter finally dying away. "That was funny. Don't be like that-"

That's when Martin struck. He stepped forward, into full view of the man, and before the man could cry out in surprise or for help, Martin kicked his leg out again, opened the earth beneath the man's feet, and dropped him into a six foot hole.

He landed safely, his knees aching but was relatively unharmed, when suddenly the hole closed up around him, sandwiching him between two walls of earth, leaving only his head to stick out awkwardly.

"Don't scream," Martin threatened. "Or else I'll crush you."

The man whimpered and did what he was told.

"Where are they taking people to have their bending taken away?"

"The... uh... the old barracks. Over there, on the south side."

"How are they doing it? A bloodbender?"

"I don't know."

Martin moved his arms close together, closing the gap of the wall. The man squealed. "I don't know! I'm just a grunt!"

Martin wanted to ask more questions. Like, how many Equalists were here, and who was their leader. Time was of the essence and he had to move quickly. "Thank you," he said.

Sitting next to the man's head was a discarded can of Coke. With a flick of Martin's wrist, the coke can jumped up and fitted around the man's mouth and jaw, keeping him from calling out for help. The man yelped and the noise was wonderfully muffled.

"Bye!" Martin said and took off running towards the barracks.

At one point he had to stop. Less than a few hours ago he helped a fifty year old airbision give birth to five calfs. He was still exhausted, his arms sore from the repeated movements. How was he going to rescue Arthur if he could barely breathe?

He tried to waterbend to see if the chi-blocking wore off.

The water puddle in front of him shivered, but did nothing else. Maybe in another twenty minutes he'll have full motion again. He hoped it was soon. Earthbending took so much more movement than waterbending. It'll tire him out faster.

By the time he got to the barracks, he wasn't sure if he could be of help to anyone. His legs felt like jelly, his chest burning from his deep gasps. Spirits, what if he were too late?

(It should be fine, he was the Avatar. If Arthur lost his bending, Martin could return it. Right? Right?)

The barracks stretched across the field, grey metal humps that looked like sea serpents swimming through water. In between these unused living quarters, Equalists had chi-blocked benders form a long line to await their fate. There were women, men and even children, as far as the eye could see.

Martin couldn't believe how many people there were. How was he suppose to save all of them? He knew he couldn't. That would have to be a mission for another day. His first priority was Arthur. Find him, save him, get him, Carolyn, and Douglas out of here and wait for the White Lotus and Republic Forces.

It was a horrible thing to think of, abandoning all these people, but what choice did Martin have?

In the middle of the line there was a mother holding her wailing child. The kid kept crying how he wanted to 'go home' and 'this place was scary.' The mother kept looking around, begging someone to do something. Even from his hiding spot Martin could see the heavy burden on her back, forcing her to hunch.

Martin couldn't do it. He couldn't abandon these people.

He stared towards the front of the line, wondering who it was, taking away their bending. It had to be a bloodbender. Who else had the ability to do such a thing? But bloodbending was immensely difficult to learn. Even Master Shaquanda said she tried to learn and failed. ("Only to be used as a defense mechanism!" She said once, stating her reasons to learn.)

So who...?

Martin moved closer and closer to the front of the line. He was hearing noises, like steam hissing, then quickly followed by a yell of pain. Finally when he could go no further without being seen, he achingly peered around one barrack to see.

He saw Master Beign, his old firebending master.


End file.
